Happiness

Contrary to popular opinion the pursuit of happiness is not for wimps. Neither is this  pursuit a cop out, rather it a radical choice.  it demands  effort and persistence , a willingness to face ones blocks and ones conditioned beliefs .

 Choosing happiness means  accepting  responsibility for my feelings , no long can I blame anybody else or any external events for the  state of my  mind. This is a big step to take, to acknowledge that my happiness is my business and that it is not up to  not anybody else  to ' make me happy '.

Once the decision is made my internal compass is reset and in my experience help arrives. I notice an article with an exercise that helps to lift my mood.

" Remembering Joy opens  you up to better relationships, deeper understanding, and a greater appreciation of life. "  -  Jean Houston

 I  recently came across this joy  exercise by Jean Houston which is really fun and very uplifting.

Jean's Exercise

Remembering Joy.

Take just 1 minute of time to remember an incident from your life that gave you considerable joy.

Use all your senses, all your imaginative faculties , and live in that place of remembered joy as if you were still there. Stay in that state of joy for an entire minute .

Have you found a memory ?    ( It is nice if you can get  someone to do the timing for you or set a timer so you can completely give yourself to the exercise. )

   Proceed give  yourself a minute to relive that joy.

How do you feel now ?

Rehearsing joy is a marvelous way to build a sense of appreciation. Jean says she uses this exercise when she gets down and it gives her a much richer truer perspective on her life.

I  found it to be a really uplifting exercise. Hope you enjoy it too.