We all wake up each morning and within minutes, our minds are off and running for the day, so why not choose to start off the day with a big dose of happiness. Of course I realize you've immediately come up with reasons why there is no way possible to do this.......because. I'm sure we could all come up with a list of whys, with varying degrees of physical pain and suffering, loss of a loved one, fear of losing a job or relationship, loss of income, losing your home..........the list goes on. But I think if you want to start the day off differently, with all the positive and good things that you have in your life, it is more than possible to wake up and choose happiness.
Maybe we don't feel like we can in good conscience experience happiness when something awful is going on, for it simply wouldn't make sense or be appropriate behavior, at least not to us, and for sure not for those around us. If we're miserable or in a bad way, then our countenance must show this clearly, right? We must let those around us know how much pain we are in so they can pity us, which is most likely the usual stance we feel we must take in order to make our pain be known. And this is not a deplorable condition, or one we should be embarrassed to confess to, it's just usually what happens. But again......what IF we realized that we could choose to be a different way? And if we could, why would we? Where is the gain is letting go of the usual, and trying something new?
Probably the most profound thing that happens when you step outside yourself and how you normally react to a situation, is that you get a new perspective not only for yourself, but for those around you. Now granted, there is nothing wrong with offering compassion or feeling compassion, but after that, its basically up to each of us to decide at some point how to move forward. In other words, we can either feel defeated, downtrodden and hopeless completely void of any happiness in life because of our "stuff" that weighs us down, or we can find ways to endure hardships in a different way, a more productive way, a more gentle way. After all, God knows, whatever the hardship is, we certainly get nowhere by beating ourselves up with guilt and expectations, but could most likely, at the least, feel better emotionally if we find something good in the midst of the rubble. And yes.....I have learned through the years there are in fact good things left behind when the bottom drops out.
We do this by this one simple word.......choose. And even if at this point you don't believe that such a little word can make a difference, I challenge you to at least try once and see what happens. Like distracting a child that just scratched their knee with an ice cream cone, turning a frown and sadness into a big smile, we can do the same, just by using that one simple word.....choose. Which means you are deciding ahead of time, before your mind has a chance to tell you how awful things are, to find some good things to focus on. And before you've decided there is really nothing you can find to feel positive about, and would rather make your list of the bad things, remember this. What you're about to try can and will not only help you, but will invariably help someone close to you as well......because you see when your bottom falls out, and the pain is too much to bear, someone else is watching this and how you behave or react to those things.
Why should I care about that, you think? Well, if you are completely and totally focused on yourself, then you will have already decided you have no need to wonder about something so abstract, or have any such desire to learn how to flip the switch and choose happiness. You haven't made the connection that if you choose happiness, then those around you will notice, and want to do the same, or at the least moved in some way to pass on. This is how love and happiness works in the world. You will not experience it unless you choose to feel it yourself, without any outside help or influence, and release it out towards those around you.
So for the next few days, as your body wakes up in the early hours, and starts to slip into that mode of how you're going to endure the day with all the bad things that are going on, immediately switch on your search engine and find at least a couple of things that you are thankful for.....happy about....look forward to seeing that day.......anything that brings happiness to the mind, body and soul. After all, we are the ones that are in charge of where our minds will go at any given time and place, so take advantage of that and choose happiness.
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