“I have decided to be happy because it is good for my health”
– Voltaire
One of my favorite books is “Happiness Now” by Robert Holden. I’ve been a huge fan of Robert’s ever since I heard him give a keynote speech at a Hay House event a couple of years ago.
The premise of Happiness Now is that being happy is a CHOICE we make in the present moment. Robert claims that happiness isn’t a result of what happens to us but rather happiness is a side effect of where we choose to put our attention.
Robert Holden is not the only spiritual teacher who suggests that happiness is a by-product of our attention. A couple weeks ago I was listening to another favorite author – Iyanla Vanzant, counsel a woman over the radio. Her advice was brilliant. She told the woman that the solution to her problem (and to any problem, for that matter) was to “take all her attention off the problem and instead put her attention on God”.
Put all our attention on God? Really? That sounds simple. I decided to give it a try.
My idea of “putting my attention on God” is meditating. So that’s what I did. As I meditated my mind became still and began to reflect a deeper dimension of reality; the dimension that lies beyond thought. This is what I would describe as the dimension of true happiness. This is also the dimension of “God”.
When you quiet your mind you stop thought, and when you stop thought you stop focusing on your “problems”. And focusing on problems, my friends, is what creates them in the first place.
The Universe always delivers to you what you are focused upon. It uses people, places, experiences, and situations as a mirror to show you what you are thinking and feeling. If you’re constantly launching rockets of unhappiness by focusing on negative vibes, you’ll only receive more reasons to perpetuate the unhappiness.
Therefore if you want to be a happy person NOW, you only have two choices:
The first choice is to focus on thoughts and objects of your attention that trigger happiness – like your dog, the blue sky, your favorite food, fresh air, or a good memory. These kinds of thoughts will make you feel better, but they’re not ideal since they continue to suggest that your happiness is outside of you.
I suggest that you go with the second choice, which is to not think anything at all.
I’m not suggesting you try and “think nothing” all day, because that’s impossible (unless your name is Eckhart Tolle) but meditating for just 5 – 10 minutes each morning WILL make you a happy person. There’s no way this method can fail because you are tuning in with the vibration of happiness itself.
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