Choose to be Joyful, Take charge of your Life
http://www.facebook.com/notes/buddha-blessings/choose-to-be-joyful-take-charge-of-your-life/441959681412
Of course you want to be happy, but life is hard. Your job's a
pain, your family nags, and sometimes your body hurts, so how can a
Joyful Life be a choice? It isn't an easy choice, but Joy IS a
choice that you can make.
Some choices are easy, because clearly defined alternatives are
available. Choosing between vanilla and chocolate ice cream is such
a choice. Other choices sometimes don't even appear to be choices.
If I live in Detroit, but I would prefer to live in Florida, I may
not feel that I can choose to relocate. In reality, I always have a
choice about where I live. I have my story about how my job, my
house, my family, and my friends prevent me from moving, but it is
truly only a story.
The greatest obstacle to a Joyful Life is your "story" about
your life. Your story is filled with needs and obligations. You are
sure that you "need" at least a certain income to live - and you
likely feel that you "need" more money than you have. You "need" a
"good" job. You "need" a big house. You feel obligated to do
whatever your boss and your spouse ask of you. Perhaps you also
feel obligated to serve your parents, children, friends, church,
and more. STOP!
There is nothing I ever need to have.
There is nothing I ever need to do.
I say NO to the demands of the world.
I say YES to the longings of my own heart. - jlh
The secret to a joyful life is Simplicity - saying NO to the
advertisements for the latest this and the most glamorous that -
saying NO to chasing that next job promotion - saying NO to all the
stressful demands upon your time and energy.
It's YOUR time - it's YOUR life - YOU get to choose how you use
it. There is no way that your life is "supposed" to be. Your
parents had their vision for your life. Your boss, your spouse,
your religion, your friends, and even the family next door have
their ideas of how you should live your life. What about YOUR
vision for your life? What do YOU want? YES, it matters what you
want. YES you can have what you want.
Take Charge of Your Life - 9 Secrets for Getting Un-Stuck
From the way most people live, one would never guess that humans
are beings of free will. Repetition can be a choice, but often it
isn't. The athlete or pianist who practices the same routine day
after day, year after year, has their eye on a goal. The unending
repetition is a conscious choice in the pursuit of a life dream.
But what about the sameness of most lives? Observe the morning
commute, the after-work drink, the Sunday football game or
religious service - how many of those people are consciously
following their dream, training their mind, body, and spirit
through that daily repetition? And how many are mindlessly slogging
through each day out of habit and boredom?
You can take charge of your own life - today. Here are 9 secrets
to get you started:
1. Believe in yourself. A daily affirmation may seem to be a
silly idea, but give it a try anyway. Write your own affirmation
about your abilities, and repeat it each day before you leave your
home. Start with the following, and modify it until it fully
expresses your commitments, beliefs, and intents.
I am unlimited.
I take responsibility for my life.
My every action is a conscious choice.
I can accomplish anything good that I truly set my mind on.
I keep focus, and persevere.
2. Make peace with your past. In the words of William Shakespeare,
"What's done is done." You can't change the past. You can't undo
any actions you took or failed to take. Your only choice today is
either to waste energy and emotion on regrets and resentments, or
to treat your own past like a history book - an interesting, but
emotionally neutral, recitation of ancient times.
3. See each day as a new beginning. Don't project your past onto
your future. Suppose you won the lottery yesterday, would that mean
you will win the lottery again tomorrow? Usually, we are fairly
realistic about not expecting a run of good fortune to continue,
but when we hit a streak of bad luck, we tend to project that
failure into our future and think times will never get better. So
you stepped on a banana peel and slipped yesterday, does that mean
it will happen again tomorrow? If you got fired or your lover left,
it's unfortunate, but there's always tomorrow - a tomorrow that can
shine so long as you don't project yesterday's shadow upon it.
4. Look for the best in people. Everyone has good points and
bad. Everyone will please you at times and annoy you at others.
While there is power in choosing to associate mostly with positive
people, there is even more power in seeing the best in everyone.
Everyone has a lesson to teach us. Let the impact of an unkind or
thoughtless word last only a moment, but bask for a whole day in
gentle words and insightful thoughts. The happiest among us have no
enemies.
5. Make a gratitude list, and review it often. Not everything
has gone well in your life, but much has. Too often we focus on the
negative and forget our great blessings - health, friends, family,
beauty, nature, our body, our mind, Spirit, life itself. Perhaps
you have arthritis or your spouse just moved out. Yes, those are
big negatives, but your list, anyone's list, of blessings is vastly
larger than any list of problems.
6. Design your future. Visualize being in the future you desire.
Make that vision so real you can taste and smell it - a
three-dimensional full-color motion picture with surround-sound.
That is your goal - your destination. Never forget it - never lose
track of it. Let what you do every day be done with that vision in
mind. Be the aspiring athlete or musician whose every day moves
them one inch closer to that three-minute mile or perfect
concerto.
7. Either learn how to enjoy your work, or get a new career.
Make a list of what you like and what you dislike about your job.
Perhaps you enjoy your customers and co-workers, but find your boss
annoying. Limit your awareness of the annoying times to the moment
in which they occur, but let thoughts of the service and
camaraderie permeate your day. If you find that the frustrations of
your job outweigh the enjoyment, get a new career. Whatever your
interests, there is a way to do something you enjoy, make a
difference in the world, and get well paid at the same time. Make a
list of all your interests and abilities, and think big. Don't let
anyone else's small and limited thinking deter you from your
goal.
8. Enjoy everything you do, or don't do it. Yes, you have to
file your taxes and stop at stop signs whether you like it or not.
This secret refers to those things you do merely out of habit or to
avoid embarrassment. Enjoy that party, or don't accept the
invitation. Feel fulfilled by that volunteer committee, or don't
join. Believe in that particular charitable cause, or don't
contribute. Everything in life is a choice - make wise choices that
maximize your happiness.
9. Feel Unity with Spirit and all creation. You are never alone.
Your Higher Power, whatever that means to you, is a constant
support - never hesitate to ask for guidance and blessing. Remember
that Spirit knows better than you what is best for you, so ask for
comfort and affluence rather than the affections of a particular
person or a higher paying job. Whatever your circumstances, and
however often you may have felt rejected, there are many people in
this world who live in the tradition of the "Good Samaritan." When
troubles weigh upon you, do not hesitate to find and rely upon
these people - they are far more numerous than you think.
~adapted from dreamthisday.com by jlh
May you be happy, may you feel safe.
May peace and plenty bless your world
with joy that long endures.
Love And Be Loved,