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.
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