Some people seem to be born with sunny dispositions, and no matter what happens to them their glass always remains half full. Those of us who were not blessed with this perennial cheerful outlook can choose happiness.
I'm not referring to the type of fleeting happiness a financial windfall, an achievement, or a new coveted possession might bring. There is a deeper and sustaining happiness which depends completely on you. Simply put, don't do what makes you unhappy. Do what makes you happy. (If you find yourself arguing with what you have just read, ask if arguing makes you happy.:-)
Become aware of and take control of what you do.
Choices and Values Lead to Real Happiness (Deepak Chopra)
- Meditation, which opens up deeper levels of the mind.
- Actions that benefit others.
- Social relationships that support intimacy and bonding.
- Inspiration through reading the world's scriptures and poetry.
- Taking enjoyment in natural beauty.
- Having a vision of personal fulfillment that you follow every day.
- Aiming for inner fulfillment rather than external fulfillment.
- Reducing stress.
- Taking time for peaceful reflection.
- Learning to love your own company, cultivating the self as a state of being.
- Eschewing violence and anger in all its forms, gross and subtle.
- Resolving conflicts, both inner and outer, rather than letting them build up.
- Paying one's debt to the past, which means healing old hurts and grievances.
- Stepping away from group think and second-hand opinions.
- Giving up a belief in enemies and us-versus-them thinking.
- Cultivating kindness and compassion.
- Being generous of spirit, learning to give.
- Seeing yourself as part of a larger humanity, and humanity itself as an expression of the divine, despite our flaws.
