Love Where You Are

“You have everything you need for complete peace and total happiness right now.”
~Wayne Dyer~

Don’t wait for everything to fall into place before you choose to be happy. You are an exquisite work of art in progress, a masterpiece waiting to emerge from all the colors and textures and experiences of life. Choose to recognize your value and yet continue to do your work. Take time to notice and feel the perfection of the present moment. Experience its nuance and allow it to be as it is.

One of the greatest aspects of awakening is the discovery that all is well, even when things appear to be a mess. As you cultivate the tools of greater perception, it becomes easier to embrace life… all its beauty, wackiness, frustration and joy. Nothing is more important than your state of consciousness in this moment.

Respect yourself as well as those around you. Work for the fun of it. Know that life will present you with whatever you require for your awakening. Release the need to rush through your experiences to get somewhere else. You are right where you need to be.

Happiness is a Choice

“Think thoughts that make you happy. Do things that make you feel good. Be with people who make you feel good. Eat things that make your body feel good. Go at a pace that makes you feel good.”
~Louise Hay
~

Your thoughts dictate your life experience and the mind can be trained to recognize the positive in every situation. Seek the gift within the challenge. Know that your thoughts, words and actions are planting seeds that will grow into your future experiences. You can create happiness in your life situation. Begin now, from where you are with what you have.
As you change, the world around you is transformed. Small conscious actions create a momentum of powerful intent. Doing less, more gets accomplished. When you enjoy the journey, miracles seems to flow toward you. There are many ways to celebrate your existence – but all true happiness comes from within.
When happiness is based upon outside factors, you become enslaved by them. The job, lover, house, bank account and self-image become more important than your day-to-day joy and your precious energy is then wasted chasing that status quo. Once the spiritual seeker discovers inner happiness, nothing can take it away. As life ebbs and flows and people come and go, the joy remains and becomes the foundation of your journey.

Life is an Adventure

“Life is an adventure. If you treat it as such, you’ll enjoy it’s happiness”
~Manny Segarra~
How we choose to see life determines how we experience it. Everyone faces both intense challenges and great beauty – this is a world of paradox after all… but many believe that if they evolve or if they do the right thing that life will fall into place and the struggle will cease. This is only half true. The struggle will certainly cease; however, life will be what it is – a constant ebb and flow of energy and experience. If you allow it, everything will assist you in awakening.
Choose to see your life as an adventure. Face any challenges that arise with expectation and wonder knowing that you are ready for a breakthrough to new levels of awareness. By design we have limited perception. Remind yourself that even though you cannot yet understand the lesson or the purpose behind your current circumstances, that all is well. There may be a new friend among strangers. You may discover new skills and passions. It’s important to remember that life will always present the perfect situation that is needed for your spiritual growth.

Live Simply

“Any intelligent fool can make things bigger, more complex, and more violent. It takes a touch of genius — and a lot of courage to move in the opposite direction.”
E.F. Schumacher

Consider how much would get accomplished in your experience if your energy was not focused upon trying to get others to do something, fixing things you feel are wrong or worrying about the future. Trying, fixing and worrying are leaks that steal your life force. Allow everything and everyone around you to flourish without interference.
This mindful approach demonstrates trust in the flow of the universe. The light of consciousness transforms all that it shines upon. The Tao te Ching teaches that in doing nothing, everything gets done. Give yourself permission to just be. This creates space in your relationships and in that space, growth is possible. Be the awakened and beautiful soul who allows life to be as it is while supporting others to evolve in their own way.

Keep your life simple. Be patient, honor the processes of your own awakening and extend that patience to others as they move through the lessons of their lives. Allow compassion to be the defining quality expressed throughout your interactions.

Happiness

“If you want to be happy, set a goal that commands your thoughts, liberates your energy, and inspires your hopes.”
~Andrew Carnegie~

True happiness comes from within. It is not based on outside factors or dependent upon the actions or choices of another. As spiritual seekers, it’s empowering to discover the role that choice plays in our ability to experience a joyful life.

Ego-driven happiness is an energetic form of imprisonment. It may feel wondrous when that new item is purchased or when you fall in love; however, the highs are often followed by corresponding lows when the newness wears off or when the relationship becomes more complex. At this point the ego fixates on another goal and happiness is delayed or subdued until that goal is achieved.

When you choose to be joyful, nothing can take that away from you. Life still happens of course, but beneath the ebb and flow of experience there is a foundation of joy from which to draw and your presence can then be an inspiration to others.

 

Happiness

“Happiness is an attitude. We either make ourselves miserable, or happy and strong. The amount of work is the same.”
~Carlos Castaneda~
Happiness is a choice. So is misery. Each of us is responsible for our own joy; therefore, change begins with consciously changing our thoughts – choosing happiness again and again until it becomes our natural response to daily events. All transformation comes from within.
Life will provide ample opportunities to practice acceptance, forgiveness and compassion. The process of growth is both deeply personal and collective. Your unique journey is one of learning mastery and those who grace your life play the roles required for your awakening.
When you choose thoughts that create empowerment and peacefulness, nothing has the power to take your happiness away. Even in the midst of tremendous challenge, there will be a groundedness of spirit that is unshakable.
In the present moment, can you choose to surrender to what is? That is the foundation of genuine happiness. Make this a daily practice of walking meditation as you go deeper into your own expression of joy. Open yourself to the experience of life without judging or trying to control. This is the art of contentment.

Planting Seeds of Joy

Plant the seed of desire in your mind and it forms a nucleus with power to attract to itself everything needed for its fulfillment.
~Robert Collier~
The thoughts of today plant the seeds of tomorrow’s experience. Consider what you wish to create in your life. Are your choices leading toward your destination or away from it? The way to manifest your dreams is to live as if they have already manifested. Treat your job, home, partner or life situation as if it is your dream situation and life will rise up to meet you. Your happiness, gratitude, passion and inspiration will create a magnetic energy to draw more beauty into your experience.
The ego loves to play the game of “I can’t be in acceptance of my life situation, because then nothing will ever change….” however, nothing is further from the truth. In order to assess our choices from a space of clarity and consciousness, we must begin from a space that is free of resistance, anger or desperation.
The seeds of love and compassion bloom in unexpected and magical ways. Tend your garden well. When weeds of anger or doubt crop up, attend to them immediately when they are small rather than waiting until they overrun all the beauty you are creating. You have the ability to cultivate joy each and every day.