Turn On Your Happy Switch

With all of the struggles, fears, and divisions in the world today, it can be difficult to find happiness in your daily life.

With so much suffering and conflict, sometimes it might seem like the world has no joy to offer.

You might ask yourself, “How can I be happy when people are struggling, losing their jobs, their businesses, their freedoms, and their lives??”

Or else, we can get so focused on the negative things that are happening in our own lives, the challenges we’re dealing with, and the potential catastrophes that could arise at any moment, that we simply block our capacity to feel joy.

But joy is what gives your life meaning. It is what makes life worth living.  If you want to truly live your best life, it is imperative that you take the time to cultivate your joy.

So today I’d like to share a simple mindfulness practice that you can use at any time to create the experience of more joy in your life.

Happiness Starts with Gratitude

The secret to this practice is to focus on what you’re grateful for.

Because no matter how bad things might seem right now, I guarantee that there are countless reasons to be thankful.

Your world is full of things that are worthy of your gratitude. Here are a few areas to start.

Your Relationships

Think of the good people in your life – the people you love and who love you back.

Everyone from your friends to your family, to your co-workers, to the smiling waitress that always gets your order just right, all make up your support, which is an incredibly precious gift.

Your Bare Essentials

Think about the fact that you have a roof over your head and how lucky you are to food in your fridge

There are so many things in your daily life to be grateful for – such as the electricity to light your home, indoor plumbing, your car or access to good public transportation, great entertainment on your television, or your smartphone with a connection to anywhere in the world.

Your Education

The fact that you have a computer and can read this blog (or any number of blogs on the internet). The access you have to the Internet and online resources empowers you to better yourself with ease.

It wasn’t long ago that I had to go to the library to research information in print, now you can access unlimited resources from the comfort of your home.

Your Health

Think about your health, your body, and all the things it allows you to do – such as go for a walk through a forest or along a beach, go dancing, plant a garden, enjoy a yoga class, play sports, ride a bike, play a musical instrument, play with your children or grandchildren, and so on.

Even if you cannot do some of these things, focus on your amazing heart that continues to beat and your lungs that allow you to breathe.

When you focus on all of the things you have to be grateful for, you will remember that the world is actually an amazing place and your life is truly a gift.

With that perspective, you will expand your experience of joy and develop a more positive mindset.  You will begin to notice the wonders all around you.

And with that mindset in place, you will be ready to learn how to meditate for greater happiness.

 

How to Meditate and Increase Happiness

Okay, so here’s a simple, but very powerful gratitude meditation you can do every day to increase your overall happiness.

Step 1: Take a moment to quiet your mind

Sit for a moment and take a few long inhalations and exhalations, focusing your attention on your breathing. Breathe in slowly and breathe out slowly.

And as you breathe, practice non-attachment to your thoughts. As soon as you find yourself thinking about something other than your breathing, gently release that thought.

Think of your thoughts as train cars passing through the station. You’re on the platform, watching them go past. But you’re not getting on to ride them, and allowing them to take you somewhere else.

You’re simply observing them as they go by and letting them move on without you and then gently returning your attention to your breath.

Step 2: Give thanks for what you are experiencing

Once your mind begins to quiet down, I would like you to give thanks for everything you are experiencing at this moment – first starting inward with your most immediate experiences and working your way out.

Thank Your Body and Mind

Give thanks to your mind, which allows you to think of all your thoughts. Be grateful for your eyes, that allow you to see the world’s beauty. Give thanks to your ears that allow you to hear the world’s music, and then to your mouth that allows you to taste the world’s deliciousness in all its myriad forms.

Be grateful for your arms and your hands and all they allow you to do – such as holding a child, reaching out and grabbing something to you, throwing a ball or a pillow, catching a ball or your falling child, writing a book, typing a report, driving a car, playing a musical instrument, creating a piece of art, cooking a meal, or hugging a loved one, or making love.

Be grateful for your lungs, for allowing you to breathe, and for your throat, for allowing you to speak and sing. And be grateful for your legs and feet, for making it possible for you to walk, run, jump, and dance.

Thank Your Current Environment

Be grateful for the chair you’re sitting on, and the people who put their time and effort into making that chair. Be grateful for the money that allowed you to buy that chair or the person who gave it to you.

Be grateful for the coffee cup beside you, and the delicious coffee it used to hold that’s now flowing through your veins, making you feel more awake and alert.

Be grateful for the clothes that you’re wearing, and the person who made those clothes, and the job that gave you the money you needed to buy them.

Thank Your Extended Environment

Be grateful for your home, and your family, and your friends. Be grateful for the people who make your life better or easier in some way—like the people at the grocery store, the gas station, the coffee shops, and the restaurants—the garbage men, the taxi drivers, and Uber drivers, the weathermen and women, the doctors, nurses, healers, and holistic practitioners.

Be grateful for the city and the country you live in, and the freedoms and rights that are available to you. Be grateful for the natural world around you—the birds that you hear out the window, the flowers and the trees, the parks and the bodies of water, and the fish that swim in the ocean.

Continue to expand your awareness outward, cultivating gratitude for everything you can think of. You can even feel gratitude for the planet, the solar system, the stars, and even for life itself! Gently let your mind drift from topic to topic, while consciously practicing gratitude for everything that occurs to you.

Try to maintain this state for about 10 minutes, if you can.  If not, go for 5 and work up to 10 eventually.

Step 3: Recognize Your Improved Happiness

When you’re done, open your eyes and take a moment to acknowledge the joy that comes with showing this kind of gratitude.

It is important to pause and recognize that small, incremental changes in your daily life can build up and make larger improvements in your mental health.

This simple meditation can have a huge impact on your mindset and your vibrational state. If you practice it every day, you will find it so much easier to experience more joy and happiness in your life.

And that is important because to receive what you want, you must become its vibrational match.

Start Your Journey to Happiness with The Feel Good Now Transformation Method.

If you want more things to appreciate, you have to first appreciate more of what you already have.

You’ll find that things will begin to come more easily to you, and people around you will naturally feel more inspired to help you achieve your goals.

And not only will that help you experience more joy and fulfillment in life – it will increase your ability to make an impact in the world, and create a positive ripple effect that will encourage others to show up in the world in a more positive and joyful way as well

If wish to learn more tools to access your inner joy, raise your vibrational frequency, and unlock the power to feel good on-demand…

Click here for free training and to learn more about The Feel Good Now Transformation Method