TEN KEYS TO HAPPINESS

Physical wellbeing is inseparable from emotional well being. Happy people are healthy people.  The wisdom traditions of the world tell us that happiness does not depend on what you have, but on who you are. In an era of materialism, it may be worthwhile to reflect on what really creates happiness in us. The following ten keys, gleaned from the wisdom of traditions may give us some insight.

1.    Listen to your body’s wisdom, which expresses itself through signals of comfort and discomfort. When choosing certain behaviour, ask your body. “how do you feel about this?” If your body sends a signal of comfort and eagerness, proceed.

2.     Live in present, for it is the only moment you have. Keep your attention on what on here and now;  look for the fullness in every moment.  Accept what comes to you totally and completely so that you can appreciate it, learn from it, and the let it go. The present is as it should be. It reflects infinite laws of nature that have brought you this exact physical response.  This moment is as it is because the universe is as it is. Don’t struggle with the infinite scheme of things; instead, be at one with it.

3.     Take time to be silent, to mediate, to claim the internal dialogue. In moments of silence, realise that you are recontacting your source of pure awareness. Pay attention to your inner life so that you can be guided by intuition rather than externally imposed interpretation of what is or is not good for you.

4.    Relinquish your need for external approval. You alone are the judge of your worth and your goal is to discover infinite worth in yourself, no matter what anyone else thinks. There is great freedom in this realisation.

5.    When you find yourself reacting with anger or opposition to any person or circumstances, realise that you are only struggling with yourself. Putting up resistance is the response of defences created by old hurts. When you relinquish this anger, you will be healing yourself and cooperating with the flow of the universe.

6.    Know that the world “out there” reflect your reality “in here”. The people you react to most strongly, whether with love and hate, are projections of your inner world. What you most hate is what you most deny in yourself. What you most love is what you most wish for in yourself. Use the mirror of relationships to guide your evolution. The final goal is total self-knowledge. When you achieve that, what you most want will automatically be there, and what you most dislike will disappear.

7.    Shed the burden of judgement- you feel much lighter. Judgement imposed right and wrong on situations that just are. Everything can be understood and forgiven, but when you judge, you cut off understanding and shut down the process of learning to love. In judging others, you reflect your lack of self-acceptance. Remember that every person you forgive adds to your self-love.

8.    Don’t contaminate your body with toxins, either through food, drink or toxic emotions. Your body is more than a life-support system. It is the vehicle that will carry you on the journey of your evolution. The health of every cell directly contributes to your state of well being, because every cell is a point of awareness within the field of awareness that is you.

9.    Replace fear-motivated behaviour with love-motivated behaviour. Fear is the support of memory, which dwells in the past. Remembering what hurt us before; we direct our energies towards making certain that an old hurt will not repeat itself. But trying to impose the past on the present will never wipe out the threat of being hurt. That happens only when you find the security of your own being, which is love. Motivated by the truth inside you, you can face any threat because your inner strength is invulnerable to fear.

10. Understand that physical world is just a mirror of a deeper intelligence. Intelligence is the invisible organiser of all matter and energy. And since a portion of this intelligence resides in you, you share in the organising power of cosmos. Because you are inseparably linked to everything, you cannot afford to foul the planet’s air and water. But at a deeper level, you cannot afford to live with a toxic mind, because every thought makes an impression on the whole field of intelligence. Living in balance and purity is the highest good for you and the earth.  

By Deepak Chopra.