Steps to Happiness
***** o0o*****
Money and Happiness
Happiness instead of Money
Happiness Efforts
You and Happiness
Investigating Happiness
Never Unhappiness
Happy without Effort
Finding Happiness
***** o0o*****
INTRODUCTION to our subject – Steps to
Happiness 2
Again with this issue of the newsletter I shall use excerpts from my
upcoming new book.
To explore ‘How to be Happy’ is fun in itself; as it is a test on how
we perceive things to be. More often than not we are wrong in our
perception but we must understand that there is a beauty in being
wrong.
Being wrong is one step closer to being right! Enjoy your mistakes as
they lead to a better understanding. Rather than assume happiness is
over there and you need to make some travel arrangements, enjoy the
journey.
Excerpt…
Working hard to achieve happiness will work in time, but you’ll
experience a rollercoaster ride; all you really need to do is to
practice letting go? It is a process of ‘non doing’…
Excerpt…
Words are very powerful and lay heavy on our subconscious. If you said
for example, “I’ve got to work all day Saturday.” How heavy is that?
Too heavy I would suggest. What we need therefore is to start using
different words to explain events.
It is my suggestion that we introduce the word ALLOW instead of work
or effort. We must ALLOW events to unfold and TRUST that we respond
accordingly.
Every person who reads this will be able to tell of a story about when
doom and gloom visited their life. Proof, without any reason to
question, that all the ‘effort’ we put into our life doesn’t always
turn up trumps.
When doom and gloom does visit, we need to observe with full
attention, allow events to unfold and respond with what our gut
feelings tell us. This is of course discussed and illustrated later in
this book, but can you see that what was possibly a difficult scenario
has suddenly turned into a simple exercise.
Our efforts and struggles can be replaced by an observant individual
who allows events to unfold. If by chance it would appear, that you
prevent a major catastrophe happening, you’ll have done it by allowing
instructions to arise rather than have sleepless nights trying to
resolve it in your head.
This is done with practice. Scientists would never underestimate the
subconscious so neither should the rest of us. This realm is far from
being fully understood, yet the exploration is an adventure we should
all enjoy.
To continue…
Step by step guides on how to be happy are good but miss the point.
Rather than pull out a particular ‘step’ within the guide; and you’ll
need to carry a guide book around every part of the day to remember
all the steps, we need to have an understanding, or more preferable a
KNOWING.
If you see yourself making a mistake you are at the peak of
opportunity. Rather than suggest that you are engulfed with
negativity, you’re actually at the peak of possibility; everything is
at your disposal to resolve.
Excerpt…
Happiness embraces every subject and multiplies its possibilities.
Take love for example, imagine the intensity of giving love when
you’re sad; then imagine how beautifully that emotion of love can be
multiplied when you’re happy.
So being happy complements most every subject.
To do a task and to hate that task is likely to produce a poor
product. To do the same task, but be feeling happy will produce a much
improved outcome. Inspirational ideas, offering gratitude and
forgiveness are all the result of what happiness can bring.
Wisdom it is said ‘comes with age’ so therefore I would suggest that
happiness should do also. Each and every day we should improve our
understanding on ‘how to be happy’ and in doing so multiply our
possibilities.
Happiness has a power, if we could harness that power and thrust it
into our life we’d see an abundance we could never have expected.
To continue…
Happiness has a greater affect on our life than we first may choose to
admit.
Onto our stories of illustration…
***** o0o*****
Money and Happiness
Happiness instead of Money
Happiness Efforts
You and Happiness
Investigating Happiness
Never Unhappiness
Happy without Effort
Finding Happiness
***** o0o*****
2. STORY 1
SAND AND STONE
A story tells that two friends were walking through the desert. During
some point of the journey they had an argument, and one friend slapped
the other one in the face. The one who got slapped was hurt, but
without saying anything, wrote in the sand: "TODAY MY BEST FRIEND
SLAPPED ME IN THE FACE."
They kept on walking until they found an oasis, where they decided to
take a bath. The one, who had been slapped, got stuck in the mire and
started drowning, but the friend saved him. After the friend recovered
from the near drowning, he wrote on a stone: "TODAY MY BEST FRIEND
SAVED MY LIFE."
The friend who had slapped and saved his best friend asked him, "After
I hurt you, you wrote in the sand and now, you write on a stone, why?"
The other friend replied: "When someone hurts us, we should write it
down in sand where winds of forgiveness can erase it away. But, when
someone does something good for us, we must engrave it in stone where
no wind can ever erase it."
LEARN TO WRITE YOUR HURTS IN THE SAND, AND TO CARVE YOUR BENEFITS IN
STONE.
(Unknown Author)
3. Story 2
THE HOUSE OF A 1000 MIRRORS
Long ago in a small, far away village, there was a place known as the
House of 1000 Mirrors. A small, happy little dog learned of this place
and decided to visit. When he arrived, he bounced happily up the
stairs to the doorway of the house. He looked through the doorway with
his ears lifted high and his tail wagging as fast as it could. To his
great surprise, he found himself staring at 1000 other happy little
dogs with their tails wagging just as fast as his. He smiled a great
smile, and was answered with 1000 great smiles just as warm and
friendly. As he left the house, he thought to himself, "This is a
wonderful place. I will come back and visit it often."
In this same village, another little dog, who was not quite as happy
as the first one, decided to visit the house. He slowly climbed the
stairs and hung his head low as he looked into the door. When he saw
the 1000 unfriendly looking dogs staring back at him, he growled at
them and was horrified to see 1000 little dogs growling back at him.
As he left, he thought to himself, "That is a horrible place, and I
will never go back there again."
All the faces in the world are mirrors. What kind of reflections do
you see in the faces of the people you meet?
(Japanese Folktale)
4. ANSWERING YOUR QUESTIONS
Question: “I find it difficult helping others without imposing my own
point of view?”
Answer: Often when a problem is presented to you from a friend or
colleague the answer is often in the question. Our immediate reaction
is to offer our own thoughts and ideas, which more often than not is
not the solution. Rather than impose our own ideals we need to tempt
those asking to resolve it themselves.
To impose our own ideals will not advance us anywhere!
CALVES AND COMMON SENSE
Ralph Waldo Emerson, the famous nineteenth-century poet and essayist,
was out one day trying to get a calf into the barn. "But he made the
common mistake of thinking only of what he wanted: Emerson pushed and
his son pulled... But the calf stiffened his legs and stubbornly
refused to leave the pasture.
The Irish housemaid saw their predicament. She couldn't write essays
and books; but on this occasion at least, she had more horse sense, or
calf sense, than Emerson. She put her maternal finger in the calf's
mouth, and let the calf suck her finger as she gently led him into the
barn.
The lesson is simple but profound: The best way to influence others is
by considering their desires, not just your own.
5. PHILOSOPHICAL TIPS & QUOTES
"Winners are losers who got up and gave it one more try." (Dennis
DeYoung
Rock Musician and Songwriter)
"I have always struggled to achieve excellence. One thing that cycling
has taught me is that if you can achieve something without a struggle
it's not going to be satisfying." (Greg LeMond, Cyclist, 3 Times
Winner of the Tour de France)
Lots of people limit their possibilities by giving up easily. Never
tell yourself this is too much for me. It's no use. I can't go on. If
you do you're licked, and by your own thinking too. Keep believing and
keep on keeping on." (Norman Vincent Peale,
1898-1993, Pastor, Speaker and Author)
Bye for now.
======================================================
Courtesy:
www.wisdom-and-philosophy.com
***** o0o*****
Money and Happiness
Happiness instead of Money
Happiness Efforts
You and Happiness
Investigating Happiness
Never Unhappiness
Happy without Effort
Finding Happiness
***** o0o*****
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