By Barbara E. Lewis

I recently had the great pleasure of traveling to Peru on a self-guided spiritual journey. Among other places, I visited the ancient city of Machu Picchu that sits high in the Andes mountains. And later I flew to Lake Titicaca, the highest inhabited lake in the world.

I thought a lot about what makes people happy during this trip. Here are a few suggestions about ways to trigger happiness that came to mind while I sailed Lake Titicaca in a boat named, Cusi or “Happiness,” in the Quechua language…

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The Measure of Success

We are often told that money cannot buy happiness. So often in fact that the phrase has become an ‘old saying’ and, as then frequently happens, the words may be parroted but the meaning becomes blurred.

In today’s world ‘success’ is usually measured by money and power. Since money can’t buy happiness and power certainly doesn’t insure it, we seem to be at a place in our society where happiness is not very highly regarded and is certainly not seen as a measure of success.

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You must weed your mind as you would weed your garden. – Astrid Alauda

Weeds in a garden can be incredibly pesky, persistent and destructive to the plants you do want to cultivate. Any good gardener knows that frequent weeding is necessary if you want to keep a clear area for healthy plants to grow to their fullest potential.

How similar this process is to the role of positive thinking in living a happy life! Just like a garden, your mind can easily and quickly become overrun by “weeds” in the form of negativity, impatience, jealousy, anger or inflexibility.

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There are many physical benefits to organization, but did you know that organizing your space can also have positive mental and spiritual benefits?

Purging your home and workplace of clutter and unnecessary items can symbolize a deeper process of cleansing and purification. As you toss old, useless clutter and better organize what’s left, you are in effect creating a sensation of lightness and freedom that can benefit you both mentally and spiritually.

On an energetic level, the effects of cleaning and de-cluttering can be even more profound because the process clears stagnation and calls in a flow of fresh, invigorating energy (also called “chi,” “ki,” or “qi” – which means “universal life energy”).

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