CHOOSE HAPPY
It A L L begins and ends in your mind. Your thoughts, your motivations, your concerns. Your goals and stressors. Your world. Your e n t i r e reality. Your mind serves as that brief disconnect from what happened - and what you perceived happened. From what your friend said to what you perceived your friend said. To what you're seeing, to what you perceive you're seeing. Essentially, you filter your world through your mind. If your mind, or filter, is cloudy and troubled, your perceived "reality" will be cloudy and troubled. Things will seem complicated/hard/gloomy. If your mind is happy and bright, so will your reality be. If your mind is calm and clear, your reality will be so as well.
Your reality reflects the state of your mind. Do you see just how powerful your mind truly is?
But you know this, right? Next question: Do you R E A L L Y know this? Know it enough to prioritize your mind health? To do right by you and practice self-care, through meditation/yoga/personal development books/exercise/delicious bubble baths? I mean, think about it for a minute. No really. We have the power to make our lives pretty dang fantastic. It's as if a cute little fairy tapped you on the head with a sparkly wand, granting you the gift of perfect hair days every day for the rest of your life, and you replied, "Eh, I like bad hair days. They build character." In the words of my favorite meme, "Y tho?" Whyyyy would you do that? Why would you waste your power? I don't know about you, but i want to be happy.
If you're thinking, "Well, yeah, it seems like a great theory at all, but it's incredibly tough to stay zen when life throws you curveballs, like a job loss/divorce/sickness/etc. Or you just feel down and out for no reason. Or your significant other is working your last nerve. Here are some important aspects to remember:
1. Negative emotions are inevitable. Accept this, acknowledge and honor them as they arise, and do your best to let those bad boys go. You have the power to override negative motions by choosing what you want to feel. As Brendon Burchard points out in his new (and excellent!) book, High Performance Habits, emotions are instinctive and happen mostly without our conscious will; we just suddenly feel the emotion because our brain interpreted something happening and attached a meaning and emotion to it, mostly based on past experience.
But we don't have to be slaves to our emotions - we can work around them! Let's say you have to deliver a speech and you feel fearful and anxious. Re-frame them in a positive light: Those emotions are simply reminding you to be alert, speak up, and focus on how you can serve your audience and effectively deliver your message.
2. It's not about not feeling/having negative emotions. It's about how quickly you can get back to good. In a later post, we will discuss some tips.
3. It's a muscle you have to strengthen. It may seem daunting at first, but the more you do it, the easier and more rewarding it is. A little self- discipline up front will carry you a long way. it's a worthy initial investment that will pay off exponentially.
So let's choose happiness. Say yes to happiness.
xx,
-w-
“The happiness of your life depends upon the quality of your thoughts”
photos by brooke richardson photography