What does it take to be truly happy?

According to the NIMH, an estimated 21.0 million American adults (or over 8.4% of the population) suffer from a major depressive episode each year. In fact, over 47,500 people die of suicide each year, making it the tenth leading cause of death of adults in the United States. How can we live in a culture with so much success and so many opportunities yet still be so unhappy?

In a world full of social media highlight reels, most people are chasing the appearance of happiness – but true joy comes from turning our focus inward. In this episode of the Tony Robbins Podcast, Tony, Sage and the world-renowned teacher and author of the New York Times Best-Seller, The Untethered Soul, Michael Singer, discuss how our society views happiness, why this view isn’t sustainable and how to break our patterns of focusing on external happiness.

What is the true meaning of happiness? And how does that compare to what the current culture tells us is happiness? Tony, Sage and Michael go deep to reveal the behaviors and limiting beliefs that keep us from achieving the happiness we crave.

Michael Singer shares his top tips for breaking old patterns, committing to new habits and learning to look inward – and for living a life of self-realization. He also explains his tools of choice: meditation and mindfulness train his mind to release negative energy and focus on being present with his happiness.

World-renowned teacher and bestselling author Michael Singer

The external factors that affect our happiness will continue to change. Instead of basing our contentment on conditional factors that are out of our control, Singer stresses the need to turn inward. We need to stop focusing on the experience of being happy and discover how to live in the present moment.

When we allow ourselves to feel every experience, we train our minds to focus on the good in life. Use Singer’s unique methods of mediation and mindfulness to discover what is holding you back from living a life of unconditional happiness.

EPISODE NOTES

[00:37] Tony introduces episode
[02:35] Two master skills in life
[02:55] What makes you happy
[03:10] Tony introduces his wife, Sage
[03:45] The Untethered Soul
[04:50] Michael’s relationship with Tony
[06:00] A Trojan horse
[06:10] Michael’s online course
[07:00] The mind can be dangerous or beautiful[07:15] All experiences are temporal[08:35] Learning to work with your mind[09:00] We all experience pain and fear[10:00] How can the brain become our enemy[11:10] Energy becomes trapped[12:10] Creating a disturbed mind[12:25] The insight that resonated with Tony[13:10] Letting go of negative energy[15:10] Road rage[15:50] Relax and release[16:20] “You Have No Problems”[17:20] Boulders vs. pebbles in life[17:30] Letting go of our preferences[18:10] What’s getting in the way?[21:00] Do you want to be happy?[23:05] Cleaning up the inside[23:35] Dealing with the small things[25:05] Training your mind[26:10] Relaxation is the foundation[28:10] Chapter 17 – Death[29:25] What impacted Tony and Sage the most[30:20] Taking a breath and slowing down[30:40] Is your happiness cheap?[32:05] “Hello are you in there?”[33:40] How life came to be[35:55] The moment in front of you[38:25] Gratitude for your body[39:30] The power of happy people[40:10] Michael’s journey as a businessman[44:20] Learning what surrender is[48:00] “I can and I will handle this”[48:40] Surrendering the resistance[50:40] Build your muscle[51:10] Sage thanks Michael[53:30] The process of slowing down[54:10] Make a commitment to relax[55:40] Love drives you[56:40] The energy inside of you[58:10] Your most stressful thought[58:40] Change the channel[59:00] Meditation[1:00:55] Developing good habits[1:02:40] The moment of awareness[1:03:40] Working in the prison system[1:05:10] “I’m still watching”[1:06:30] What surrender really means[1:07:55] What is your contribution?[1:10:00] Ego is just fear[1:10:40] Take responsibility for yourself[1:12:10] Who you are[1:13:00] The awakening[1:15:15] The source of our energy[1:16:30] Judgement[1:18:00] His legacy[1:19:00] Respecting the moments that unfold[1:21:30] You can’t fight with yourself[1:22:30] Building the temple[1:23:55] Only one way to live your life