Happiness can seem like an endless journey fraught with many, often contradicting theories. There’s what you should and shouldn’t do; training states of mind; economic considerations; health; family; meaning; philosophy; spirituality – the list goes on. But what actually works? “As a newborn, they found me on a frigid winter’s day inside a brown paper bag left on a toilet seat in a bar-and-grill washroom in upstate New York,” says A. K. Driggs. “It would prove to be an inauspicious start for a happy life.” Can someone with such a disadvantaged beginning life find happiness? We don’t have figures on abandoned babies in the United States, let alone a protocol based in the social sciences for how to help raise these infants as they mature. Fortunately, Driggs was adopted by a loving couple, but other challenges would come her way.
For Driggs, her estimated January birthday initiated an extended series of life obstacles – romance, sexual identity, insecurity, fear of abandonment, cancer, being bullied and other existential crises, career uncertainty – on the path to happiness. “But I found it and, honestly, I’m sure I’m happier for having gone through the challenges beforehand,” says Driggs, author of “Abandoned in Search of Rainbows,” (abandonedinsearchofrainbows.com), which details her journey to wholeness. She offers advice for those who seek fulfillment in life.
• Self-acceptance is the gateway. We tend to worry about what’s wrong, which makes a certain amount of sense because what’s right doesn’t require attention. Of course, the problem with this paradigm is that we create an inner environment dominated by anxiety. And, ironically, we worry about all the things we tell ourselves that we first have to do to be happy. As a result, we often have that busybody voice perpetually telling us something is wrong.
• Your spirituality is available to you every day. Many people wonder what spirituality means in practical terms. Aside from metaphysical aspects, some define spirituality as self-transcendence, which proves to be extremely valuable in our pursuit of happiness. Again, consider the subliminal voice that’s always telling us things like Your hair doesn’t look good enough or You said the wrong thing at the meeting and so forth. Are these concerns anything more than ego traps?
• Make peace with your sexuality, disability, religion, race, adoption and more. Thankfully, in 2015, society has come a long way in its relationship to those who are not the majority. Still, it’s not hard to feel different, and there are individuals and groups that are explicitly unwelcoming.
• Don’t let go of what makes you happy! No matter how you’ve come across happiness – whether seemingly by accident or after a long, earnest effort – appreciate it by doing it. While that may seem like simple common sense, people lose sight of what makes them happy all the time.
“I found happiness in my spouse; the family that I’ve chosen, my friends; and singing as a recoding artist,” she says. Whether it be dancing for fun, sewing, gardening or simply singing to all living creatures, don’t give up what makes you happy.”
About A. K. Driggs
Discovered inside a brown paper bag left on a toilet seat in a Rochester, New York, bar-and-grill washroom, newborn A. K. Driggs (abandonedinsearchofrainbows.com) made headlines from the start. Adopted by a loving couple, she continued making waves on her extraordinary life journey as an animal communicator, musical prodigy, bisexual lover, phone-sex superstar and recording artist. From abandonment and betrayal to unconditional love and trust, Driggs chronicles her journey in “Abandoned in Search of Rainbows.” Her provocative candor lets readers experience the whole spectrum of emotions as Driggs searches for a meaningful life. By finally finding her place in the world—personally and professionally, romantically and sexually, musically and spiritually—Driggs illuminates a magical path for each of us to follow to get there, too.
