By Wannabe Happy
Week 7, We are heading home now. Hopefully you are still practicing the yoga and meditation exercises we learned in previous weeks as well as growing and understanding what it truly means to be you. Because you have ups and downs, this does not mean that your state of happiness is influx. Nothing will ever remain the same, life is ever-changing, you are ever-changing, everyone around you is changing. This goes for friends, loved ones, and so many other people, places and things we cling to for attachment. In order to experience true happiness, you will have to understand your inner ever-changing self. The next two weeks will be the homerun on our pursuit to happiness. We will focus on concepts and within those concepts we will have exercises, but it is important you continue to explore meditation, calming and training the mind, in order to effectively contemplate the concepts at hand. Continue to practice the yoga poses attempting to link the breath with your movements. In this comes awareness. Awareness of your body. Awareness and insight into what you truly have control over.
Day 1: Nothing is permanent
Happiness exists in understanding this concept. Take a coffee cup and place it somewhere in your home, car or office. Now, ask five people that you know well if they have ever lost something or someone that has caused them pain or suffering. For every person that has not lost something or someone in the past that caused them pain or grief place a penny in your cup. You will find the results to be astonishing. Listen to the answers. You will hear people talk about the loss of a dog, a parent, or loved one. The most profound answer I have ever received from a person was that they felt they lost themselves. This exercise is a good way to see that nothing last forever, not even us. Embrace change, embrace growing older, embrace the knowledge and wisdom gained in the process of change. You are not who you were yesterday, see this as a positive; because if you were, then life has passed you by and you have not evolved with everything else around you that is changing.
Day 2: Happiness is real
We have to believe in happiness. We have to believe that it is real, it is attainable and that a process exists. Over the past 7 weeks, we have worked on meditation, yoga, changing our perspective on life and how we see the world. Embrace that change as well. Sometimes the feeling of true happiness is such a drastic change from whom we once were that we do not know how to accept it. Believe it is real. Happiness is inside of you, but you have to believe it and not ignore the reality of the feelings inside of you.
Day 3: Happiness has no rules
There are no rules to happiness. Although we have outlined a path, provided techniques and concepts, there are no rules or regulations to achieving happiness. Only you have the formula, only you know the path. We can provide the pathway, but only you can contemplate, process and truly understand what allows you to see, think and act skillfully with a clear mind. Practice the meditation technique we learned in earlier weeks. Revisit the art and practice of training your mind. When you are in control of your thoughts, you are in control of your happiness. Where your mind goes, your actions are sure to follow. Practice removing thoughts of greed, hatred, and fear.
Day 4: Removing lust for desires
True happiness relates more to the mind and heart and is not dependent on physical pleasure. Be content where you are in your life. Find joy and peace in your current state. Do not give up on your goals, do not stop growing and moving forward in your life; however, do these things without lust being the driver. Contentment is a part of living in the present moment. The past has been lived, the future is not promised, but the present moment is the gift of life. Say this to yourself enough times until you actually understand it, until you recognize it as a true statement of existence.
Day 5: Your intention for Happiness
Ask yourself this question, “Why do I want to be happy?” Take a piece of paper and write down 5 reasons why you want to achieve ultimate happiness. Keeping our intentions in the right place is key to happiness. We may do acts of kindness, we may want to be happy but understanding the motives behind our actions is important to our success on this journey. Set your intentions for happiness, this will help you define your path.
Day 6 & 7: “Weekend”.
These two days we will consider our weekend. Like all weekends, we either rest from our week or catch up on what we missed out on during the week. Take the same approach here. Either revisit a concept from Days 1-5 of this week or from the previous weeks that you enjoyed or didn’t quite grasp totally. Whether it is doing the yoga poses, trying another vegan, vegetarian or healthy restaurant or practicing some of the meditation techniques. Think about the week and continue to practice the principles learned. Continue trying to make them a habit in your life.
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Tag: 8 weeks to happiness
