Happiness Habits for the Mind

Happiness Habits for the Mind

Ideas from Happy for No Reason, By Marci Shimoff

Last weekend I attended the “I Can Do It” conference here in San Diego.  I wanted to take the next couple of weeks to share some of the great material I got in the workshops.  I was very impressed with Marci Shimoff’s work on happiness and thought it would be a great topic to start off with.  She is the co-author for the Chicken Soup for the Soul series books for women.  She is also one of the moderators in the movie The Secret.  I know you will enjoy her ideas on how create more happiness in your life.

Happiness Habit #1:  Question your thoughts

Don’t believe your thoughts!

Our thoughts are a major factor in creating our reality.

Suffering is caused by the unquestioned mind.

We have 60,000 thoughts per day; 95% are the same thoughts we had the day before and 80% are negative – we are just recycling negative thoughts over and over again.

On average, as children we hear the word “no” about 200,000 times by the age of 18 and her “yes” only a few thousand times.

Our brains are like teflon for the positive and Velcro for the negative.

How to question your thoughts:  Byron Katie, most famous for her book:  Loving What Is, encourages us to do what she calls “the work” by asking ourselves 4 important questions when we have a negative thought:

1. Is it true?
2. Can you be absolutely, 100% sure the thought it true?
3. How do you react when you have this thought?
4. Who would you be without the thought?

Thoughts lose their power to upset and control us when we question them.  We become freer and happier!

Happiness Habit #2:  Go Beyond the Mind and Let Go

Ever been stuck in a mental loop?

Often times it is the emotion we have with the negative thought; when we release the emotion, we can release the negative thoughts.

Letting go with the Sedona Method:  The Sedona Method^® is a unique, simple, powerful, easy-to-learn and duplicate technique that shows you how to uncover your natural ability to let go of any painful or unwanted feeling, belief or thought in the moment.  It is based on two main premises:

1. Thoughts and feelings are not facts and they are not you.
2. You can let them go.

It consists of a series of questions you ask yourself that lead your awareness to focus on what you’re feeling in the moment and gently guide you toward letting it go.

Step 1: Focus on an issue that you would like to feel better about, and then allow yourself to feel whatever you are feeling in this moment.  Welcome the feeling, whether it is mild or strong, and allow it to be as fully as you can.

Step 2: Ask Yourself:  Could I let this feeling go?

Step 3: Ask Yourself:  Am I willing to let this go?  Would I rather have this feeling or would I rather be free?

Step 4:  When will I let go?  Letting go is a decision you make any time you choose.

Step 5:  Repeat steps 1-4 as often as needed until you feel free of that identified feeling

*For more information on how to implement the Sedona Method check out:  The Sedona Method:  Your Key to Lasting Happiness, Success, Peace, and Emotional Well-being by Hale Dwoskin. (www.sedona.com)

Happiness Habit # 3:  Incline Your Mind Toward Joy

1.         Pay attention to positive thoughts and experiences.

Reverse the teflon/velcro balance by allowing the positive experiences to register.  Once you notice something positive, take a moment to consciously savor it!  Feel it, notice how it feels in your body, notice what thoughts arise.  Some psychologists say it takes 30 seconds to register a positive experience.  We have to let the experience sink in; let the good experiences seep like tea.  Gratitude journals help with this. Another way to take in the good is to give yourself Happiness Awards throughout your day.  In your mind give a mental award to the most colorful room you saw for the day; the best well-behaved dog award; the most courteous driver, etc.

When we change our thinking to support our happiness, the negative pathways shrink and the positive neural pathways widen.  This makes it easier and more automatic for us to think positively.  Marci Shimoff says “we are teaching an old brain new tricks”

2.         Lean into good thoughts

When you have a negative thought, find the positive in the situation and focus on that.  For example.  If you are discouraged that you set out to eat raw foods for the day and by noon you were eating a cooked meal remind yourself that you can have a nice salad at your next meal and that you are making lots of great choices and eating more fresh foods that 6 months ago.  Focus on the times you had live foods and congratulate yourself for making postive changes in your diet.

Shift your focus to the part of the situation that makes you feel better.

Incline your mind towards Joy!

Happy Mind Smoothie:

• 4 small mangos – sliced off of seed
• 2 big handfuls of garden greens of your choice
• 2 cups alkaline ionized water or spring water
• tablespoon of your favorite greens powder – I used Health Force

Blend and enjoy this thick green mango drink!

Have fun creating new happy mind habits, I am!

Katy Joy