Keys To Happiness

It’s the best time to fuel the mind, body and spirit. It’s the time to shift from outer to the inner world, from unconscious to conscious. It’s an opportunity, look at the bright side, utilize it, untangle those knots and express love and happiness.

I am getting this question more often these days and I am sure the case is true for many of us who have come stronger in this lockdown scenario…

We have never seen a vulnerable side of you… Do you get anxious, sad, etc.?

And my answer is, “Surprisingly well! I was made for this shit.” I am back to my default setting: Whatever happens, happens for the best. Even when it is not ‘the best’ for me in short term, one thing I have learned in my life is that eventually, everything works out. You just gotta keep moving forward.

That’s the bounty of being positive and content and following a learning curve. Every time I started to feel bad about my situation, I would focus on how lucky I am that things are not worse. I would focus on everything that is going right in my life (instead of everything that is going wrong).

I eventually trained my mind to count my blessings in life every time I started to focus on negativity. I am taking lessons and valuing time, emotions, effort. I have realized the difference between need and desire. I am valuing my resources.

Surviving on basic meals is much more important than an elaborate meal if you can feed others. Paying gratitude to people (house help, cook, nanny), nature, resources, food is much more valuable than feeling entitled for these.

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I find it’s the best time to fuel the mind, body and spirit. It’s the time to shift from outer to the inner world, from unconscious to conscious. It’s an opportunity, look at the bright side, utilize it, untangle those knots and express love and happiness. Love everything and everyone around you, realize the difference between need and desire. I have learned that what others are doing in life has absolutely NOTHING to do with YOUR happiness.

You become grateful for the small things in life and find that beautiful sunset or a nice cup of coffee with a loved one is all it takes to make you happy. When you find your true purpose in life, everything starts to make sense. You stop living for the weekends. You stop thinking about what you are going to do after work.

I have some thumb rules in place in my life and I guess these hold true for everyone to be in peace with themselves.

Be here now. As humans, we live only in the moment, in the here and now. So we must train our minds to be present in the here and now. What is important is this day, this hour, this moment. You cannot control what will happen in a year’s time, let alone what will happen in the next five minutes.

Living in the present moment means no longer worrying about what happened in the past and not fearing what will happen in the future. It means enjoying what’s happening now and living for today. By living in the present you stop trying to guess what might or might not happen in the future and instead you stay focused on what is happening in the here and now. Being present will help you feel a lot calmer and at peace as it is like a form of meditation. No one can deal with the past or future because they both only exist as thoughts, so it is much more beneficial to focus your time and energy on each moment as it comes. By staying present, you stop comparing how your life used to be or how it could be, as you just live life as it’s happening.

We believe the most important moment is still to come, yet now is the only important moment. By staying in the present moment, you recognize that each moment you spend worrying is another moment you’ve lost. So many of us constantly plan our lives ahead, always thinking about what’s next. but if you live your life constantly planning for the future you will miss out on all the moments that are taking place right now.

Whenever I catch myself thinking about the future or going over past events, I remind myself that by doing this I am only depriving myself of happiness and enjoying life as it is right now.

Accept reality for what it is. We can not change what happens in life, but it is within our power to decide how to deal with it. Some things are simply out of our control, whether we like it or not. It’s a waste of time and energy to fight things that are out of our control—so why fight things that you cannot change? Instead of feeling helpless or frustrated, it’s better to accept reality.

You must accept that some things are out of your control. You don’t have to like it, condone it, or agree with it, but you must accept the situation for what it is. Even if your situation is terrible, the first step in improving it is acknowledging it for what it is. Understanding, accepting, and working with reality is both practical and purposeful. Acknowledging your reality will help you choose your dreams wisely and then help you achieve them. You can’t improve something you don’t fully accept first.

Acceptance is experiencing life fully without resistance. You stop trying to change what you can’t control. And, instead, focus on what you can: yourself. Acceptance helps us neutralize frustration. It gives us permission. Instead of getting stuck fighting reality, we jump into action. When we accept ‘what it is,’ we gain clarity — we focus on what’s under our control.

Acceptance requires courage — you must confront, not avoid, yourself. We must get past the ‘like-dislike reactive relationship with reality. We cannot control many things in life, but we can control how much love we embrace in our lives.

Cherish being alive. Life really does go by in the blink of an eye. Cherish every single day. We are given life and for that reason, we must not waste it. Life is made up of special and precious moments which makes it worth living. There are many cherished moments that are missed due to stress and fast-paced living. We must slow down and remember, how precious it is to be alive and to love.

The harsh reality of life is that we don’t know what we have got until it’s gone, cherish each and every person in our life, you never know when it will be the last time we see someone. Probably, even being thankful for waking up healthy in the morning can be a moment, be thankful for it.

We must slow down and remember, how precious it is to be alive and to love. Happiness is within, not without. Chase your greatness. Live your life.

Don’t wait for happiness. Don’t save up for happiness. Don’t chase happiness. Happiness is a choice to see the beauty in every day. Happiness is a conscious celebration of the precious gift of life and all of your blessings. Happiness is a journey.

Are you on the journey?

Image source: An image from Pexels

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