How Much Happiness Can You Stand To Have?
I was recently listening in the car to a discussion on happiness by Dr. Robert Holden, as I was driving across the state. Because as happy as I am, I’m always interested in Leveling Up.
An interesting exercise he shared was to complete this sentence: “One way I’m making myself unhappy is __________.”
What was your initial response when you read that? I was rocked by my own discovery.
One way I’m currently making myself unhappy is by pushing to get through some upcoming days, so that then I can relax and enjoy my time.
Can you relate? Is your schedule so full of events and to-do’s — some are fun, some are tasks — that you have relegated Enjoyment as just another calendar event? One that is placed afterward, off in the future?
When I feel over-busy, I tend to just get through my upcoming days. And I miss the joys of today. Because, dear friends, there is always something to do. It will never be done. As further insight, I can’t begin to count how many people who have retired have told me they are busier now than they ever were when they were working!
So if we think that if we can just “get through” now in order to enjoy later, we hold ourselves back from a whole lot of good stuff.
“Happiness isn’t something you search for; happiness is something you choose.” –Dr. Robert Holden
The secret to happiness lies in realizing that we already are happy. As A Course In Miracles says, “Enlightenment is but a recognition, and not a change at all.”
So I choose to be happy. Now. No matter what my calendar is otherwise masking. Because I resonate with the idea that what it is I’m looking for, I already am. We are all brilliant beings of light and soul who already are leveled up. All we need to do is choose to recognize ourselves.
When I stopped along the way on my trip to put on gas, I laughed out loud with the song that was playing over the fuel pump speakers: Brilliant Disguise, by Bruce Springsteen. Of course.
Now to you: Take a deep breath, and release it slowly. Now complete this sentence: “One way I’m making myself unhappy is ____________.” What did you discover? What steps can you take to choose to be happy, now? Share in the comments below. When you share your insights, you help others find theirs. Our brilliance is contagious.
gina drellack 