“Happiness is the meaning and the purpose of life, the
whole aim and end of human existence.”
- Aristotle
We hear a lot about spiritual healing, spiritual awakenings,
and a new shift in spiritual consciousness that many people believe is taking
place as we speak. If you’ve heard that a person appeared to be in “good
spirits”, it’s a sure sign the person was a happy camper at the time.
The bottom line is that any steps we take to increase our
spiritual awareness are designed to make us happier people. But you don’t have
to schedule a one-on-one appointment with God to learn how to live more
happily, although we could all benefit immensely from such an encounter.
There are 10 Steps To Happiness that you can apply starting
today. Some will take a little practice at first, but each one is simple to
apply and can change your entire view of life in no time at all.
- Beware The Energy Vampire. We all know the type. Intentionally or otherwise, some people have a real knack for sucking the life out of others. Their main theme is complaining about everything, closely followed by criticism and gossip. If you pay attention, you can actually feel your good spirits dropping like a one-winged cargo plane. Eliminate negative people from your life whenever possible and apply the other steps listed here when you must deal with them.
- Identify What Makes You Unhappy. Sometimes the best way to identify what something is first involves identifying what it is not. The same principle applies with happiness. Sit down and write a list of things that you’d simply rather not do anymore, given the choice. Then realize you have a choice. Hate long supermarket lines? Find a 24-hour supermarket and shop when most people are asleep. You’ll meet a few like-minded people there and might even make a new friend. Does the evening television news make you frown? Stop watching it. Yes, it’s that simple.
- The Gratitude Attitude. We’ve all been guilty of this one. How many times have we viewed the cup as half empty instead of half full? We should be grateful just to have a cup. If there’s a roof over your head, food on the table, and two legs to walk around with, be very grateful. Some people have none of the above. If you’re blessed with family or friends to call your own, let them know you are grateful to have them in your life. They’ll be happier people because you shared a kind word and will do their best to make you happy, too.
- Acceptance. A simple definition of acceptance – it is what it is and that’s okay. Life throws us a lot of curve balls. How we deal with challenges determines our happiness or lack of it. Imagine an ant demanding that an elephant does things his way. That’s what we do when we demand that life goes our way. Happy people know there will be both good and bad times and learn to accept both.
- Exercise. Researchers at the University of Texas at Austin found that people suffering from depression who walked on a treadmill for 30 minutes reported feeling more vigorous and had a greater sense of psychological well-being than those that don’t exercise. Want to feel even happier? Join a volleyball team, a local walking group, or a family football game in the back yard. You can’t help but feel happy when combining physical activity and social gatherings at the same time.
- Avoid Judgment. If you want to be happy, learn to stop judging others. Learn is the keyword here, because it’s something we’re all guilty of to some degree. Think about how you feel after you’ve silently cursed the slow driver in front of you. Probably not too good. Which of us is perfect, after all? Have you ever walked out of a restaurant with spinach stuck to your tooth or suddenly realized you’re not wearing matching socks? If someone judged us for every mistake we’ve ever made, we wouldn’t feel too good about ourselves. On a spiritual level, every judgment we’ve ever made has become negative energy sent out to the universe. Happy people look for the positives in people and things.
- Accept Personal Responsibility. We not only have a right to live happily, we have an obligation to do so – if not for our own sake, then for the sake of others. Our thoughts and actions affect not only us, but also leave an impression on our children, co-workers, friends, neighbors and everyone we meet in the course of our day. Project negativity, we breed more of the same. The opposite holds true, as well. Happy people don’t blame others for their problems. The future of this world belongs to you as much as it belongs to anyone else. Take responsibility for making the world a happier place for everyone you meet. Remember, even one grain of sand is part of a huge beach.
- Simplify Your Life. “Happiness in intelligent people is the rarest thing I know.” – Ernest Hemingway. Some people could complicate the recipe for ice cubes. The more we over think things, the larger they become, and the more frustrated we become. Turning a molehill into a mountain is a great way to ruin your day. Some of the happiest people in the world also own the fewest possessions, work simple jobs, and find great pleasure in the simple things in life. A stroll in the park, a picnic at the beach, or listening to music are all simple pleasures that make us feel happy. 3 Steps To Recovery is an excellent book that describes the author’s amazing spiritual experience and teaches 3 simple steps anyone can follow to do the same. If you’re feeling stressed before you even leave for work in the morning, slow down and simplify your life.
- Do Something Nice Every Day. When we do show kindness to others, we feel great about ourselves. You don’t need to join a monastery or become the next Mother Teresa to help people. Hold a door for the next elderly person you see, stop and let another driver pull out of a busy parking lot, or simply share a smile and a kind word with your local convenience store cashier. It becomes a win-win situation for everyone involved. You’ve made someone else happy, you feel happy, and your kindness has begun a ripple effect for everyone they meet, as well. Again, one grain of sand is still part of a huge beach.
- Live In The Present Moment. This is my personal favorite step to happiness. One of my favorite quotes comes from a famous Chinese philosopher named Lao Tzu. He said if you are depressed you are living in the past. If you are anxious you are living in the future. If you are at peace you are living in the present. Inner peace, of course, is the true definition of happiness. An amazing thing happens when you focus only on the present moment. Step away from yesterday and tomorrow, or even five minutes ago, and look around you. Here you are, one small, but important part of everything in existence. Pick up a fountain pen and realize that the inventor created this simple tool out of love for his fellow man. Observe a flower closely for the first time in a very long time. Understand that you and the flower were created by the same source, which is divine love, and marvel at the magnificence of the flower’s soft petals, knowing that although not one human on earth could create a flower from scratch, yet billions of flowers appear as if by magic. Stop and listen to your own breath. Know that all is well with you at this very moment and you will understand the true essence of spiritual and personal happiness.
All happiness stems from a flow of
love both to you and from you. All emotional pain stems from a blockage of love
both to you and from you. Join our mailing list at http://3stepstospiritualhealing.blogspot.com/
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