Living Out Loud

The A - Z of Happiness: D is for . . .

Deliberately create your day

Believe it or not, it is possible to radically alter how you feel without changing your circumstances and here is a simple technique to help you do this:

 

Each morning, before you dive head-first into your day, think very clearly about how you want your day to be, and most importantly how you want to be during the day.  If you want, you could even write it down in a small notebook - I did when I first started practicing this technique - so that you can handily refer to it later in the day whenever you notice you're no longer centred in that place of being. 

 

But whether you do it in writing or in your mind's eye, the most important thing is that you decide how you want your day to go, and then focus on that for at least a few minutes before you get started.  The more energy you can put into these thoughts, the better your day will be.  

 

So if you normally spend your journey to work thinking “Ugh, I have to do x and meet y, and I’m tired and stressed", or other thoughts along those lines, try going over and over in your mind your new script instead:

“Today I get through my workload productively and effectively. I’m relaxed and confident and I capably deal with every situation whether it is planned or unexpected.  I feel great all day and enjoy what I’m doing and the people I’m interacting with.”

Substitute the above for whatever you want from your day and be amazed at the difference it can make.

 

When I first tried this technique I was in a very sceptical place.  But I was also so miserable at work that I figured I had nothing to lose.  So I opened my mind just enough to give it a go.  I had such an amazing day it really blew my mind, and I have never looked back : )

 

Try it and see for yourself! 

Detach from your Desires

"Life is a tide; float on it.  Go down with it and go up with it, but be detached.  Then it is not difficult."  ~  Prem Rawal

 

If you could let go of all your attachments you would also let go of the source of much of your unhappiness.  Attachment to our desires is about more than our material desires, but also our emotional and spiritual desires.  It's attachment to how we think things should be, or how we would really like them to be. 

 

It can be attachment to the idea that we have to have full physical health in order to be happy, or that we have to be sad for a time if someone we love leaves us.  While these ideas may seem logical, it actually doesn't have to be that way.  These are merely beliefs.  And, as discussed in B is for... they rule our lives, BUT they can also be changed if they don't serve us well.

 

The concept of detaching from our desires is one I am constantly working on, but I see time and again how important it is to my happiness.  Having desires is not an impediment to being happy - it is natural and normal, and is what gives us impetus to get out of bed in the mornings and live our lives.  But being attached to having our desires manifest is a very real obstacle - to our happiness, and in fact to the manifestation we wish for.

 

Attachment is an obstacle to having what you want in your life, because it is resistance to the way things are unfolding.  And what you resist persists.  When you cling to the idea that you cannot be happy unless things happen in a certain way, then you are closing down other avenues that could lead you to where you ultimately want to go.

 

To be happier and more content, no matter how things are unfolding, the approach to aim for is preference: 

The Game of Life - April 09

The Game of Life is a newsletter I send to subscribers by email.  In the past I used to write one feature article and one book review per issue.  This month I changed the format.  I'm now choosing a theme each month and providing links to posts and articles around the web that I've come across and thought my readers would get value from.  And I've decided to post those links here too.  This month's theme is change/rebirth/renewal ~ inspired by Springtime

Clearing clutter can be a very powerful way to bring about a shift in your energy, not only at a physical level but also on the mental, spiritual and emotional levels. I posted on this subject last week: Spring has sprung: time to declutter.

And continuing on the decluttering theme, this article from O magazine walks you through every corner of your home, leaving you with no excuses: 12 Ways to Unclutter your Life

Nadia at Happy Lotus talks about how we can be happier having less rather than more in The Call to Simplify.

Craig Harper has many powerful questions for you in For my World to change, first I must change. And he has some serious tough love for those who want to get out of their own personal Ground Hog Day in Making the Same Mistakes - "Success or failure is not pre-determined, it's me-determined" - you have been warned ;-)

Postively Present talks about how difficult it can be dealing with change and suggests some ways to cope in Change your mind about change.

One Small Step Can Change Your Life: the Kaizen Way by Robert Maurer is reviewed by Anne Pyle on Joyful Jubilant Learning. I haven't read this yet but the review is very convincing and I'm waiting for my copy to arrive in the post...

Also on Joyful Jubilant Learning, Karen Wallace reviews The Age of Miracles: The New Midlife by Marianne Williamson. I am reading this book at the moment and although Williamson speaks to readers in their 50s and 60s I believe younger readers will find plenty of value in it too.

"Instead of feeling that it's all downhill from here (body and soul) Marianne conveys through her warmth and her love that midlife is the time to finally accept our true power. Now, more than ever before, we can change the world." Read the review here.

 

"Sometimes it's the smallest decisions that can change your life forever." - Keri Russell

I hope you'll take the time to check out some of these posts and will find them useful.  And if you have come across any others on the theme of change/rebirth/renewal I'd love to know about them too ;-)

Spring has sprung: time to declutter!

We're more than half-way through April.  Have you done any spring cleaning yet?

 

You know what I mean - deeeeep cleaning your home: getting into every nook and cranny.... your oven and fridge, the deepest, darkest recesses of all your cupboards and drawers, your skirting boards, under, behind and on top of every piece of furniture.... AND, dispensing with items you've been hanging onto just in case you need them some day....

 

It's a time consuming business, and not one I enjoy, but the results are soooo worth it.

 

Spring cleaning and decluttering does more for us than the obvious.  Yes, it's wonderful to soak up the calm of a room that's recently been cleaned and cleared of cobwebs and unused, unloved stuff.  But the benefits run much deeper: when we clear out our physical space we also clean up our energy - physical, spiritual and emotional.

 

When you change your inner world it impacts on your outer world.  And when you change your outer world it impacts on your inner world.  Because everything and everyone that exists are inter-connected, despite the illusion of separation we live under.  And so, if you're feeling stuck in some area of your life, by clearing up your physical environment you can give yourself the mental, spiritual or emotional boost you need to get unstuck and get going again.

 

Here comes the science bit...

(if you consider Feng Shui a science, that is - I prefer to look on it as an art)

 

Feng Shui (pronounced Fung Shway) is an ancient Chinese science of balancing the elements of the environment and optimising the flow of energy or chi.  An environment where the energy can flow freely allows for good health, wealth and relationships.  And the converse also applies...

 

Clutter causes the energy flow to stagnate, and the areas of your home that are cluttered represent corresponding areas in your life where your energy may be stuck and circumstances are less than favourable.

 

The simple solution?  Keep your home environment clean, organised and simple.  Don't overcrowd rooms, cupboards or drawers with furniture, books, clothing or any other apparel you can think of.  Have what you need and adorn with items you love.  And nothing more!

 

Poverty Consciousness versus Prosperity Consciousness

 

It's definitely nice to look around you and see that you have plenty - that fosters a feeling of abundance.  But if you have stuff jammed into cupboards and drawers that you can't even access because they're so full - that is unnecessary excess.  And far from fostering abundance, it will actually block the flow of abundance to you.