Being happy is a habit

In this week’s article Returning to happiness after loss or crisis I listed some practical steps that lead to recovery and returning to being your usual happy self.

After living exceptional experiences it’s inevitable to return to normal life and routines, and being happy is a way of life and can be a habit if you choose it to be. Affirmative prayer and programming your mind can help you turn happiness into a habit.

Mind touched by faith works miracles in your life.

Confidence in your own power and sublime trust in the assistance of the powers of the universe will bring you happiness that stays. Choose to be happy by working on your mental patterns and following the call of your heart.

I’ve used many affirmative prayers to repeat everyday that I find beautifully simple. Try making this the first thought when you awake and repeat this several times during your day:

I choose happiness today,

I choose peace,

I choose succes.

Love and joy brighten up my entire day.

For these blessings I am thankful

Exercise makes the master. Exercise bringing the best and highest in you, put it into action everyday.

Trust the guidance of the divine cell of God contained in your mind,

allow yourself to be inspired by the Spirit of Truth in your heart,

be conscious that your Guardian Angels bring you into situations where decision-making is vital.

It is in hard times where you have the opportunity to show what you are made of, and your Angels see to it that you make the best out of this opportunity.

Even when you find no strength to go on, and I know it can get hard, goodness that comes out of you heals you and others and it fills your heart with sublime joy.

Some people feel anger towards life because of their so-called fate or take revenge at others because things went bad; this only empowers the lowest in human kind.

You see, events are a result of mental structures and not the cause.

Letting go, moving on, being constructive or fair, forgiving, discovering your inner strengths and augmenting your self-worth imply a great deal of personal character and mental power in hard times; but training these muscles can and will bring back the feeling of happiness. Working on yourself can give you a feeling of accomplishment that is a balsam for your soul.

Sincerely desire to be happy and happiness will follow; divine guidance of the universal powers lay before you.

If you want to read more about how your mind can make happiness a habit, read The Power of Your Subconscious Mind from Dr. Josef Murphy; you’ll be happy you did.

Filed under Happiness | Tags: conflict-solving, god, goodness, guardian-angels, self-development, spiritual-growth, universal-awareness | Comment (0)

Returning to happiness after loss or crisis – Recovering

The general idea of happiness – as seen on TV – would be described as an intense emotional state, when one might feel one’s heart is bursting out from so much joy, and everything, absolutely everything is perfect in your life. I have to say, this is a very limited concept of happiness doomed right from the start.

Perceiving happiness as an intense emotional state can only lead to disappointment. Intense emotional states caused by bio-chemical reactions originated by an event are only temporary and bound to disappear very soon. That’s the way chemical reactions are: they are caused, they affect us and then body and mind return to normality. That’s nature.

No wonder so many people believe that happiness is lived only at moments that repeat themselves sometimes.

Out of experience I tell you: you can be happy everyday. And yes, I’ve already written about being happy before here. But what I want to tell this time is that:

Life can be set with flowers and stones along our way, but it is you and only you who decides “how you will be” and “who you will be” during these alternating ups and downs of life.

A light-hearted attitude and a fresh mind set-up towards that which we cannot change is “the” ideal attitude; but I know out of experience: it’s easier said than done. Events are sometimes too strong and our lives change so radically that it is nothing but normal to not be able to see light in those moments.

But once you’re half way into normality, it is your choice to return to your usual happy self or at least try to cheer up and find light; the important thing is not to force yourself to do anything.

In those “exceptional” moments there are not many other ways to react than feeling miserable and crying your soul out. Feeling lost, not being able to talk or move, let alone think is a part of being in shock or living loss and hard times. And like I wrote before, thank God that these extreme emotions, also fuelled by chemical activity in our bodies, also have an end. “This too shall pass”.

When you’re finally able to calm your emotions down a bit, and the state of shock lowers to almost normal levels, you find yourself with the practical things in life and you have to go on; sadly or luckily: there’s no other way. In extreme times I remember not even having a drop of energy to do anything. Having kids is a blessing, you literally “have to” move!

So concentrate on doing only that which is absolutely necessary, one step at a time:

• Errands related with practical stuff or survival: buying food, paying bills, going to work, etc.

• Go out and walk for a while, even if you don’t want to. Fresh air works wonders in a few minutes: it heals. And just being among people in the street, observing how life moves and never stops, is a good way of charging energy.

• Pamper yourself. I cannot stress the importance of this point enough. Hard times also affect one’s self-esteem; it’s very important that you bathe (rub yourself, use aromatic oils – this helps you love yourself) and take care of your looks. Dressing yourself like you would when you feel happy is effective, whether you believe it or not. Happiness is contagious. There’s even a technique that says: “act like if you had or were this want you want to have or be and your mind will accept this as real and will make it manifest in your life“. That’s the power of your mind.

• And in relation with this last statement (happiness is contagious) I’ve found that the “Peter Pan” technique of thinking happy thoughts is very effective. Surround yourself with objects that make you think of funny moments, talk with cheerful people, and watch funny movies.

Concentrating on these small but practical things are the first small steps of recovery. These small private moments where you make small decisions is the start point for bigger decisions.

Once you have got the basics in your life running smoothly it’s time for evaluating the state of your affairs. Knowing where you are is the first step into knowing where you’re headed.

• Face and accept reality with all its implications. Observe the cold facts, if possible, without emotions

• See how these facts affect your new life

• Which are the possibilities you have to go on? What are the resources to go on?

• Find out where/what/how you want to be or what you want to do

• Sort out the necessary steps to move your life in the direction you choose it to be

• After these steps are sorted out then it’s time to start acting. One step at a time, start walking before you start running

• Seeking for professional help can also help you into sorting out your life. The supporting input of a professional counsellor will be certainly positive

You can make a list or run a diary with the ideas and how you advance in your list. In the future you may look back and see all you have achieved and how the process was.

These steps are a very practical way to start being again in control of your life and your emotions. Reality wipes fear and anxiety out. Fear and anxiety come from thinking obsessively about the future with no real information in your hands.

Looking at life in the eyes is a healing process; being active and with a goal in your hands, open your eyes again to the simple joys in life. It might take a long time or it might take only days; but getting back to action is certainly the road to start being again the happy person you’ve always been.

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The power of “I AM”

“I am” is the name of the original source or primal cause of the whole creation. “I am” is eternal, infinite and uncaused. “I am” is the philosophic concept that portraits God.

There’s a cell of God in our minds, it’s located in the area between the eyes – often called the third eye – and it is this presence that makes us Godlike. “I am” is an integral part of you.
Pronouncing “I AM” refers inevitably to the original cause and it naturally activates eternal powers in you and in the universe.

The words pronounced after “I am” are also of vital importance: accustom yourself to using the right words when you refer to you. The power of “I am” is creation. You literally create that what you say about yourself.

• I am happy
• I am healthy
• I am intelligence
• I am consequent
• I am love
• I am good
• I am peace
• I am beauty
• I am truth
• I am prosperity
• I am abundance
• I am creative

This is a pure and powerful act of creation; it links you with the primary source of the universe.

Think twice before you say things like “I’m no good, lazy, difficult, and dumb”. Avoid calling anyone such names; specially kids and young people tend to “save” those words in their minds and act accordingly.

Make it an important goal to refer to you and to others with respect and in a constructive way.

Set those powers into motion for a good cause: being a beautiful, good and truthful person everyday.
It is an honour to give shelter to the cell of God; let’s live accordingly.

Gain consciousness of this divine presence in you and in others. Although complete consciousness of God is impossible due to our still very material nature, our eternal Father reaches out throughout the whole Universe towards us, he literally sees through our eyes. To spiritualize our material minds in order to establish all possible contact with this divine cell of God is beauty in action. For such beauty in the world I pray for and I’m thankful everyday.

With love,
Atika

Filed under Good News / Faith | Tags: god, goodness, soul, universal-awareness | Comment (1)