Today turned out to be one of those textbook beautiful days. The sun is shining, the breeze is blowing softly and the temperature is just right — the perfect day. I enjoy perfect health; I do have good job and income supported by good bank balance, sufficient real estate, pension plan, medical care. I can enjoy vacation with my family happily. I have sufficient time and resources for my spirituality related pursuits. Even with all the challenges I have to face, I still look up at the sky and smile as the clouds chase one another across a “picture-perfect”, blue background. But I know that all the days to come will not be as beautiful and comfortable as this day is. Yesterday was dark and dreary, pierced with giant streaks of lightning, which generated thunder that rattled the windows.
Yes, I know that all the days that follow today will not be as bright as this one, or as dark as yesterday. Some days will be better than others. Some will be worse. And I do not know which ones will or won’t. But this one thing I know: There will be change. There will be ups and there will be downs. That’s how life is — there are good times and not so good times. The good times will not last forever. Every now and then, there will be rough times. But remember, even the worst times won’t last either.
The trick is to enjoy the good times and make the most of them; to tolerate the rough times and know that they won’t last forever. Generally, it appears that the good times seem to go so fast and the bad times seem to last forever, but this is not really so. It is our experience of time that makes it seem that way. Five minutes in my dentist’s chair may feel like an eternity, whereas sixty minutes spent chatting with a friend may seem like just a few seconds. Whenever we encounter difficult problems, the tendency is to focus so intensely in trying to arrive at a solution that we become all tense and tied up in knots. When that occurs, we tend to become frustrated, fearful and sometimes angry. The problem here is that we’re trying to force a solution instead of allowing a solution.
Anger could be expected, but prolonged anger is harmful to body, mind and spirit. It was the great author and lecturer, Dr. Elisabeth Kubler-Ross who said, “Natural anger lasts for only about seventeen seconds”. Anything beyond that is a reaction to circumstances or remembered situations. Fear is one of our deadliest enemies. The fear I refer to is the type that causes us to stay awake at night conjuring up all the terrible things that could happen because of the unsolved problems we’re facing. This kind of fear is dangerous, self-defeating and downright useless. It shakes our very foundations and needlessly drains us of energy. And to be frustrated is natural. But let us not dwell on the frustration. It’s like having a flat tire while driving in a thunderstorm and getting out of the car, becoming soaking wet and kicking the flat tire for being flat. It does no good.
How to Deal With Problems
So you ask me, “How then do I deal with my problems?” The first most important thing is to disconnect from the problem. By this, I don’t mean that you pretend that the problem doesn’t exist. It does exist, so get all the facts you can and then let it be. Break focus with it. This way, your subconscious mind will work towards a solution.
When we force our minds to be totally focused on the problem, when we do not let it go, even for a short while, we deny the subconscious mechanism the power it has to help resolve the crisis. We must let it go. We must take a break from thinking about the problem.
Do whatever you can to break focus. Since all things have energy, even our problems are energy “things”. If we focus on the problem too long, we energize it and make it stronger. By letting go and switching our focus, we shift our energy away from the problem and are now “energizing” the solution.
Does it matter how big the problem is? Not really. The Higher Self knows the answer to every problem we could ever encounter. The size of the problem is not important. What is important is how we look at the problem. Withdraw your attention from it for a short while a number of times a day.
During those times, don’t look at the facts. You’ve already done that. Just look away from the facts to something pleasant, maybe listen to some good music, watch a great movie, go for a walk and talk to a good friend, read a good book. Just break focus with the problem for a short while.
If you do this, you will notice that the problem will appear to be less and less formidable. And somehow, in some way, you will get the guidance to do what’s necessary to overcome the challenge. It may be that your car is being repossessed, the house is being foreclosed, a close friend or relative or even you yourself may be battling poor health. Doesn’t matter what the problem is, break focus, allow calm, quiet and hope to flow through your mind.
As you practice doing this, almost magically, things will start to change; you will feel better, more hopeful, more empowered. And you will think more clearly. You will hear the “still small” voice within giving you the guidance you need.
Speed Up Your Thinking Process
Suppose, you have some problem with you. What do you think about that problem? You do it to search out the solution. You take into consideration various probabilities, examine it from many angles and make adjustments to get the solution, a viable one. Here, you will have to speed up your process of thinking. How? While doing so, you will focus only on problem and probabilities, nothing else.
Don’t try to think happy thoughts—just think fast. A new study shows that accelerated thinking can improve your mood. In six experiments, researchers made research participants think quickly by having them generate as many problem-solving ideas (even bad ones) as possible in 10 minutes, read a series of ideas on a computer screen at a brisk pace or watch an I Love Lucy video clip on fast-forward. Other participants performed similar tasks at a relaxed speed. Results suggested that thinking fast made participants feel more elated, creative and, to a lesser degree, energetic and powerful. Activities that promote fast thinking, then, such as whipping through an easy crossword puzzle or brain-storming quickly about an idea, can boost energy and mood.
Rapid-fire thinking can sometimes have negative consequences. For people with bipolar disorder, thoughts can race so quickly that the manic feeling becomes aversive. Although fast and varied thinking causes elation, fast but repetitive thoughts can instead trigger anxiety. Slow, varied thinking leads to the kind of calm, peaceful happiness associated with mindfulness meditation, whereas slow, repetitive thinking tends to sap energy and spur depressive thoughts.
It is unclear why thought speed affects mood, but our own expectations may be part of the equation. In earlier research, it was found that people generally believe fast thinking is a sign of a good mood. This lay belief may lead us to instinctively infer that if we are thinking quickly we must be happy. In addition, thinking quickly may unleash the brain’s novelty-loving dopamine system, which is involved in sensations of pleasure and reward.
The kind of rush that a person gets from rapid-fire thinking may be transient, but these little bursts of positive emotion add up. Happiness yields myriad benefits, including greater productivity, stronger social support and improved immune function. Even brief periods of heightened mood can lead to upward spirals.
The Need Of Being Happy Again
I will ask you a simple question… Do You Really Want To Be Happy? Really, think about it. Do you really want to be happy? Do you feel yourself deserving to be happy? Are you doing everything in your power to be happy? Or do you think happiness is something for the wealthy, the good-looking, royalty, and the spiritually advanced? If your reply is yes, it is good. If not, you may please change your attitude and forcefully make yourself feel that you too deserve happiness as others do enjoy.
From the beginning of human history, we have been searching for happiness. Most of our daily functions and overall desires all revolve around “being happy.” Being satisfied is a key goal in our current materialistic society. But something that the spiritually advanced noticed quickly was that everything material is impermanent. Like beauty fades, and youth withers away, so does everything material. So happiness cannot depend on the material.
So as this revelation was made clearer, many ancient traditions focused on the opposite, the spiritual. And thus, if you begin studying ancient texts and modern sciences, you’ll notice their complexity. The more you learn the more you get confused. Eventually, the main goal, happiness (or personal contentment), is lost in the haze. Some, the very adept, are able to reach that state of pure happiness through spiritual ascension, via ascetic practices. Going on retreat to the middle of nowhere and living in a monastery devoid of life’s simple pleasures, does not seem like a practical option for a normal human being living in the 21st Century. For us, the normal human beings, spiritual ascension is a goal we might want but not at the expense of living life to the fullest.
For most of us, our time is our most precious commodity. We love to live life in the moment and we enjoy life more when we are in action. We like doing, evolving, learning, interacting, being, moving; this is who we are.
Sitting in a room quietly for thirty minutes, then thrusting yourself into this hectic city-world and thinking everything is going to be perfect is not a realistic view of life. Plus, with bills, spouses, bosses, coworkers, offspring, and other obstacles, one needs a “real world” approach to this fast-paced life.So we come to this statement: More important than spiritual ascension is personal contentment.Only with personal contentment can you ascend spiritually. Personal contentment does not mean material or sensory satisfaction. Personal contentment means to be truly happy with yourself right here and now.From this state of personal contentment everything is possible. Personal contentment brings peace of mind.
Feel Gratitude
Gratitude is one of the most powerful emotions a human being can experience. It alone can put you in a state of Bliss (contentment). A grateful mind is a content mind. A grateful mind needs nothing. When you are in a state of Gratitude, peace and overall contentment follows.So from this we can say that…Gratitude = contentment = True Happiness (Bliss)
Another key point about gratitude is that when focused, it becomes an extremely powerful energy source that releases Bliss at any time. So with this, you can turn a bad moment into a great one! We must thank God for the life, its pleasures and its grieves and for the assets and goodwill we possess, we must thank those who did even a little gesture to us without taking into consideration that such gestures might have come to us due to some self-interests from their side. We may try to improve our status by expressing our thankfulness more deeply and more openly, it can ask the other persons to think over again if any self-centric attitude might be prevailing in their minds. You must start this process immediately so that you can be happy again, right now.
Be Happy – Be Happy Right Now.