What makes you happy? Most people could come up with a long list of answers to this question. 

Ironically, it’s all the things that make us happy that make us unhappy as well; either because we have them but the happiness wears off, or we find out there’s something/someone else that we might like better, or we have them but lose them, or we find that they don’t make us as happy as we thought they would…

It’s a never-ending cycle of whack-a-mole that leaves most people with short periods of happiness, with longer periods of frustration, disappointment, and “wanting” in between.

In this episode, Thom offers up an alternative approach to happiness, one that’s infinitely more reliable and which allows us to enjoy the delights and variety of life without leaving us at the mercy of external circumstances. 

Episode Highlights:

[00:45] Two Kinds of Happiness

[02:43] Man's Ever-changing Happiness in the Upanishad

[04:45] Object-referral Happiness

[06:59] The Challenge of Being Happy

[09:03] Control Freaks of Happiness

[10:48] When Happiness Becomes a Obsession

[12:46] Self-referral Happiness

[15:07] Where Thoughts Come From

[17:33] Energy in Thoughts

[19:42] Making Sense of Our Thoughts

[21:28] Finding Calm Through Vedic Meditation

[23:31] The Magic of Repeating Sounds in Meditation

[25:57] The Joy of Vedic Meditation

[28:03] Going Beyond Ordinary Happiness

[30:31] Making Inner Happiness Your Foundation

[32:45] Balancing Inner and Outer Happiness

[34:53] Liberation from Chasing Happiness

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Registration is now open for Thom’s only rounding retreat for 2026, in Sedona from May 21-25.

This is your one and only opportunity this year for deep rest, stress release and consciousness expansion through industrial-strength meditation, along with twice-daily knowledge sessions with Thom.

You’ll enjoy delicious retreat-friendly meals and the beauty and healing powers of the Red Rocks of Sedona. 

Register before February 28th and you’ll save $500 on your retreat fee. 

You can find out more at thomknoles.com/sedona.