Forty ~ It's so hard

It is easy to say thank you for the simple things... Thanks for the ride, thanks for the lunch, etc.  Why is it embarrassing say thanks for being given something big that I couldn't have accomplished on my own?  When someone does us a favor, deep down we know we owe them something.  If we find it too embarrassing to say thank you, it's because we really want to avoid admitting that we owe this person something that honestly we can't repay.  The closes we can come to repaying the favor is by paying our debt of gratitude.  The bigger the favor a person did for us, the bigger the debt we have.  With big debts, sometimes we would prefer to pretend they just don't exist.

When someone we don't like does us a favor it is a great opportunity to upgrade our happiness.  It can be a catalyst for us to start to see them in a better light than we previously saw them.  If they have done something kind for us then they MUST have some good qualities.  When we are strong enough to admit we may have been wrong about how we perceived another person, we are on the road to upgrading our levels of joy immensely.  Saying thank you is not lowering ourselves, its in fact being big, admitting our debts and repaying them - we are making ourselves higher and better people when we do this. 

Sometimes we overlook all the good and kind things that those closes to us do for us.  The magnitude of what our parents, teachers, siblings, spouse and children do is so great that we actually become desensitised to appreciating it.  If we could imagine a complete stranger doing the exact same things for us, we would really know how to notice and appreciate all the good our closest ones do for us.

Think of the 3 most important gifts you've been given in life - have you adequately thanked the giver for them?  If not, thank one of them today.  (If the person is no longer alive, you can still verbalize your gratitude and pretend they are standing in front of you.)

It's a fantastic feeling to go back over our lives and work out who we owe a debt of gratitude to and then to actually pay it by saying thank you.  The person who we thank will be so surprised.  (they'll never expect it)  We will feel good about ourselves, because we all love the pleasure of making another person happy.  We will also have sense of feeling lighter.  There will be more bounce in our step, song will pour forth from our lips and we'll smile more readily, because deep down we will actually feel the weighty debt of gratitude gone and instead we will feel our self worth soaring.

Warren, S. 2010, 7 Ancient Keys To Happiness, CreateSpace Independent Publishing Platform

Thirty nine ~ Nobody Home

Take a good look around.  We are surrounded by so many good things.  Walking around and expressing thanks for all that we see, hear, smell, touch and feel is guaranteed to lift your spirits.  there isn't a day that goes by without something to be grateful for.

When we notice myriads of wonderful things in our lives, we can't help but be happy.  There is a way of making us feel a deeper sense of happiness.  Don't just notice the good, but be thankful.  The more we notice the good, and then appreciate it, the happier we will be.  When we hear ourselves say "Thank you" our appreciation levels increase.  Saying thank you is a practical tool to help us work on increasing our ability to appreciate everything.

1. Try this... at dinner tonight, see who can come up with the most number of ingredients, people, packaging and processes that were needed to get the main course on the table - the person with the most on their list gets a double dessert!  Then say a big "thank you!"
2. If you're alone, then walk around your home for 2 minutes saying "thank you" for everything you see and appreciate.  (It's helpful to set a timer that will beep when your time is up.  That way you don't get distracted by the time and lose your train of "thank you" thoughts.)

 We don't need to wait for someone to do us a favor in order to tune into the benefits of feeling grateful.  We can look around and see all of the wonderful things in our life and say "thank you."  The expression of feeling gratitude causes us to feel beloved and cared for.  Why not walk around with this feeling, even when no one is around?

Do this exercise regularly so you can recognize the exciting different things each day.  It may sound like a very simple exercise and it is, but don't let that fool you, it is very powerful.

  

Warren, S. 2010, 7 Ancient Keys To Happiness, CreateSpace Independent Publishing Platform

Thirty eight ~ Ohh Ta!

We were all taught from a very young age to say thank you, but how many people still do it?  What if we thanked everyone when they did something for us?  What if we sat down and figured out all of the people that we didn't say thank you to? 

We are born with nothing and when we die we will not have anything.  Anything we receive along the way is really just a gift.  Even the "gift of life" is a gift.  Happiness comes from appreciating the gifts we have.  There is a simple slogan which if we were to keep it in mind would increase our happiness incredibly....

EXPECT EVERYTHING = APPRECIATE NOTHING

EXPECT NOTHING = APPRECIATE EVERYTHING

Happiness is often dependent on our expectations.  If we change our expectations of life, to not expect anything, then we will have immense appreciation whenever we are given anything.  This feeling of appreciation brings us true happiness.. If we integrated the thought, "everything in life is a gift" we would be exceptionally grateful and happy people.

Happy people anticipate good things happening, but they don't think they have a "right" for these things to happen.  Having an expectation that life owes us something leads to misery.  Having an upbeat outlook that good things will happen, leads to happiness.

Try and thank three people today.  This can be done by speaking / writing / calling or any other way you can think of.

Happy people are grateful people, and grateful people are happy people.  When you enter the mindset of gratitude, automatically your focus is positive.  The attitude of gratitude requires that a person look outside of their own selfish "I want, I need " and instead focus on "I have, I'm fulfilled"

Gratitude integrates the knowledge that others love us, into an emotion of actually feeling loved and cared for.  The more we express our thanks to another, the more WE FEEL good.  Saying thank you is good for our emotional well being.  It's not just a social nicety or a polite thing to do. 

If we can do this exercise everyday for at least 3 months, you will notice how much more you appreciate life and how more loved we feel.  This exercise is a great technique to help remold our entire personality.  It will bring amazing results that we will be so please with.  In the end, we will even begin to thank ourselves for persisting in acquiring this ability!

Warren, S. 2010, 7 Ancient Keys To Happiness, CreateSpace Independent Publishing Platform

Thirty seven ~ Seeing the patterns

When we get good at seeing the good things in life and noticing all those wonderful details that we've previously been oblivious to, we will start noticing patterns.  We will notice various people will pop up in our minds that have always been there for us when we needed it.  Or we will notice who of our friends gives us the most pleasure.  Or we may notice that we enjoy the day more when we get up earlier.  By opening our eyes to see the patterns, we become sensitized to how much good others do for us, what gives us the most pleasure and who we should appreciate more.

Seeing the patters of who gives us the most brings us a feeling of appreciation so great that it brims over, and we feel we just have to express it to the people who have done so much for us.  We can also identify where we are getting most of our pleasures and then we can get more.

If we want to increase our pleasure in life, we need to learn where to get it.  Once we find the sources we can work on getting more.  Seeing the patterns in our life and noticing who and what provide them, helps us know where to turn, or what to do to get real, lasting and continuous pleasure.

1. Trace back where you got the 5 most important life wisdom's ( work ethic, honesty, etc)  Are there patterns?  Acknowledge the source of your gifts.
2. At the end of the day, before you go to sleep, mentally review your day and make note of what were the 3 most pleasurable things about your day.  Do this for a while, until you start noticing patterns in what you find most enjoyable.  Incorporate more this tomorrow!

When we are astute enough to see the patterns of good in our life, we will be able to tap into that good whenever we want.  Happiness is not a product of random happenings, it can be worked for and planned for.  When planning for a happy and successful life, it is important to see where we've previously found the most happiness and success.  When we can recognize the sources we can go back for more.

Warren, S. 2010, 7 Ancient Keys To Happiness, CreateSpace Independent Publishing Platform

Juice Away your Belly fat!

Just found this article on Fitlife.tv

Belly fat is dangerous and it takes more than just exercising to reduce that fat around your belly. You need to eat food high in nutrients.

1. Apples

Apples contain pectin, a water soluble fiber and are packed with antioxidants. Juicing apples or eating them raw can decrease the amount of visceral fat (fat around your stomach and organs). The fiber from the apple also keeps you feeling full.

2. Tomatoes

Tomatoes are packed with vitamins C, A and B and also essential vitamins and minerals. Most people don’t want to eat tomatoes because they think that since it’s a fruit that it’s loaded with sugar. Tomatoes score a 15 on the glycemic index so it won’t spike your blood sugar. Cooking tomatoes is actually really beneficial. When tomatoes are heated they actually have a lycopene content and helps with absorption of nutrients.

3. Celery

Celery is great. It’s also a great base to any juice recipe.  It has anti-cancer properties, aides in digestion, acts as a diuretic, and is anti-inflammatory. Celery is rich in sodium and potassium, which is a great after workout drink. Celery contains coumarins, which have anticancer properties. Coumarin also help lower blood pressure and also help with migraines.

Thirty six ~ Trace it back

To learn to cultivate the most amount of seeing the good in our lives, we can learn the skill of tracing it back to its source.  If we enjoy the shoes we are wearing, we can trace it back to feeling grateful to the shoe shop, or our mother for buying them for us, or the cow that died so we have leather, or to the grass that sustained the cow so it could grow, or the farmer who reared the cow...

The more we trace it back, the more pleasure we will be experiencing because it helps us appreciate the things we have in a more detailed way.  Tracing back our pleasures helps cultivate a feeling of "I'm so important and cared for."

Physical pleasures;  Everything that we own, body parts that allow for the ability to see, smell, hear, feel, taste.  Basically anything that brings us pleasure by seeing, touching, hearing, tasting and smelling.

Emotional pleasures; the feeling of being loved, loving others, belonging, meaning, friendship...

Achievement pleasures; winning, being the best at something, overcoming an obstacle, finishing something meaningful, being in control or having power...

Awareness/ Intellectual pleasures;  understanding something deep or profound, having clarity on an issue or having direction in life...

In order to feel these pleasures more, its great to trace them back to how we got to that pleasure, who helped us on the way, what was the original trigger that lead you on this path?

Take one pleasure from each category and see how far back you can trace it.  The further you can trace it back, the bigger your awareness of the pleasures you are experiencing, the deeper your appreciation.

If we want to be happy and really enjoy life, then we have to be aware of all the pleasures we have.  Our levels of appreciation and gratitude will soar the more often we can do this exercise.  Open your eyes to the reality around you.

Warren, S. 2010, 7 Ancient Keys To Happiness, CreateSpace Independent Publishing Platform

Thirty five ~ Awesome!

Ever had one of those moments?  You're standing there in the mountains looking at this amazing creation of a world we live in.  You see all the little things, and begin realizing just how amazing each thing is and that they all work together to make this amazing place.  It's Awesome!

Look at how your hands move.  We are made up of atoms, and when we think that we want to move our hand, our brain sends a signal to the arm which is another bunch of atoms, which then makes the arm move.  And what about how complicated our eyes are - we see life through jelly!

If we put on awesome glasses and walk around, we would be so taken back that we would find it hard to just get to the end of the street.  By plugging into awe, we will be able to see phenomenal levels of goodness that we just didn't notice were there.  The more we plug into this, the more we can fly, in feelings of happiness, excitement and bliss!

Why don't we already do this?  Well, we did, at first, but then it became normal and average to us.  We stopped seeing things for awesome, but they really are!

1. Pretend you met somebody who had never seen a butterfly before.  Describe how it looks, grows, reproduces etc.  Try and do this with your "awesome" glasses on!
2. Look around the room you are currently in, focus your attention on one object.  Now look at it as if you've never seen it before - experience the awesomeness of the object.  (some people who know how to meditate, may decide to meditate on that item)

We need to re-sensitize ourselves to the joy of living.  When doing this exercise we may not feel any different right away, but if we manage to enter the state of viewing something even once in our lives with awe, we'll never be the same.  Some describe the experience of seeing something through awesome glasses as "euphoric, mild-altering, prophetic, etc"  Try it!  Put on your "awesome" glasses!

Warren, S. 2010, 7 Ancient Keys To Happiness, CreateSpace Independent Publishing Platform

Thirty four ~ Living in the Present

What's on your mind this morning?  Do you have so many things to do that you can't figure out what to do first? 

"I've got so much to do.  Today I have a dentist appointment, a package to pick up, 5 meetings to attend, an after-work dinner office party and then my grandma needs me to take her to pick up a prescription.  Tomorrow, I have to pack for a flight to New York and attend a conference for 3 days.  All I can think about is what my boss said yesterday.... is he thinking of letting me go?"

We live so much of our lives thinking about what we have to do or what we forgot to do, or what we did.  It's time to live in the present, right now!  We may be here physically, but our minds are elsewhere.  Somebody could be speaking with us and we don't even notice, or we may hear what they're saying but aren't really listening. 

When we are on fast forward, we miss out on a lot. 

Pause for a moment.  Don't think about what you need to do or what you've done or forgotten to do, etc.  Listen to the sound of your breathing; are there any other noises that you hear?  Is there a breeze?  How do you feel?  Try viewing yourself, as if you are looking down from the ceiling at yourself.  Now notice all the sensations that you enjoy ~ the chair you're sitting on, the shoes you're wearing...

The only way to be fully alert and alive is to be fully present.  This exercise is a life changer - it is our wake up call.  Let's teach our minds to live in the present, to see, feel and experience life fully.  When we escape into past worries or future plans we become oblivious to the wondrous world of now.  In order to enjoy life to the fullest we need to be fully awake, fully alive and fully present.

Warren, S. 2010, 7 Ancient Keys To Happiness, CreateSpace Independent Publishing Platform

Thirty three ~ Never say Never

"You're never going to change."  "He'll be like that until the day he dies."  "She'll never admit that she's wrong."

What does the future hold for us?  Will we always hold our negative thoughts?  Will we always hope that things will get better?  Have we given up hope?  It is important to try and see the potential of another person.  It is great if we can share our vision with them, in hopes that it will encourage them.  If someone believes in them, it may just be the one thing that keeps them moving forward.

As long as we can see the potential in another person that is great and positive, they don't actually have to use their potential.  We can view people in a more loving and positive way when we see something admirable about them.  Admiring potential makes us positive, encouraging and joyful people.  What they do with our encouragement is up to them. 

Think of a person who you would like to appreciate more.  Try and see that person's strengths and imagine that they used those strengths to do great things.  Now picture the person having achieved all of the greatness they are capable of.  Enjoy this person.

Learn to love people, all of them.  We have said the key to happiness is to focus on the good in life.  The key to loving people is to see the good in them and identifying them with their good.  The key to maintaining this positive loving outlook is to become a connoisseur of life.  This exercise will help us become a connoisseur of people - even those who on the outside don't look that wonderful.  The more often we can see the good in other people, the happier we will be. 

Let's go turn every interaction with people into a pleasurable positive experience. 

Warren, S. 2010, 7 Ancient Keys To Happiness, CreateSpace Independent Publishing Platform

Thirty two ~ I'll be back

Life is a roller coaster, right?  We fall down, we get up, we fall down, we just have to keep getting up.  This is where seeing the good can help.  If you can go through your mental notes, or even create a notebook that you write down all your good times, or things, or accomplishments then you can refer to them when you're down and realize that its worth getting up again.

An interesting exercise ~ sit down and write out what things happened for you in 2013.  I know, it IS 2013.  Pretend it is December 31, 2013 and write out all of the fabulous things you did in 2013.   This is a great exercise because we can get caught up in all of the good things that we are writing down and we will genuinely feel good and happy about 2013.  It is completely your imagination, but look at how amazing you can feel when you just THINK fabulous thoughts.  When December 31, 2013 comes around, get out that paper and see exactly how close you came to what you wrote down now. 

Let's do it!  Pretend you are writing about what happened in your life in 2013.  Be realistic, only write things that you can do, not something like "walked on the moon."  We want realistic wishes of what your year was like.  Make it as detailed as possible, including months and people that you were with.  You don't actually have to do what you wrote down, so dare to dream.  Then put it away and wait for December 31, 2013. 

The power of this exercise is phenomenal!  When you write down a fantasy year, you'll find that there are times when you'll make choices based on things you wrote down, and you may not even realize it.  This exercise works on our deep sub-conscious level and it ignites a desire within us to pursue our dreams. 

This will free you up from narrow minded vision.  It will open up a new world of pleasure, excitement and achievement.  For the analytical type it could be explained as the power of willpower or power of the mind and the subconscious.  For the spiritual type it could be explained as a way of sending out a message or desire to the Universe, which then creates a response or power that causes things to happen so that our vision becomes a reality.  Any way you want to explain it, the fact is this exercise is powerful and IT WORKS!

Warren, S. 2010, 7 Ancient Keys To Happiness, CreateSpace Independent Publishing Platform

Thirty One ~ It'll be good

Do you give yourself pep talks?  "It's gonna be a great day!  I'm gonna go out there and sell like I've never sold before!"  It is pretty amazing what a positive self talk can do for you.  If we create the excitement and the hype, we will go out there with zest and make the sale.  That method sure beats the opposite.  Anticipating that things will be good can actually make things good!

How hard it is to have a negative attitude and be successful?  Doesn't happen very often, does it? 

Think about tomorrow.  How are you going to make it a great day?  Anticipate with joy the start of tomorrow!

 Every day is the start of the rest of your life.  Have you ever watched the sun rise?  The sky is black and the stars are vibrant and then slowly in the east a haze of blue begins appearing?  As we watch the sky gradually change colours, there are many different shades of blue, yellow and red.  The air is crisp and the whole experience is one of renewal and newness.  Every day we start afresh.  We can choose to begin our lives again from that moment.

New beginnings are vitalizing.  We can drop that bad habit and think positive "That was me before, today I am new."  When we start each day with the anticipation of a new start and anticipating good things happening, we will enjoy our day immensely.

Optimists have more fun!

Warren, S. 2010, 7 Ancient Keys To Happiness, CreateSpace Independent Publishing Platform

Thirty ~ Seeing Others

We all do it.  Tease, joke, poke fun.  I guess it seems funny at the time, and often they even laugh, too.  But, if we look at it, its not very nice.  It is taking the negative and screaming it out to others, and asking them to laugh about it.  It doesn't make the other person feel very good about themselves either.  Or you, for that matter.

What about gossip.  You can't tell me that you don't do it.  You do it.  We all do it.  Is it a positive thing?  How often are you gossiping about something good?  Not very often, right? 

"What goes around comes around."  Do we want the good to come around, or are we promoting the bad to come back our direction?  If we are talking bad, then we will get bad.  If I'm always making fun of people, I guarantee they are just waiting for me to do something so that they can point it out and take their turn laughing at me.  When I look at it that way, it seems awfully silly to think that I'd wanna poke fun at anyone.  Let's flip that around.

If I am always pointing out the good things and talking good about people, will that come back around?  YES.  If all I do is good, good is bound to come back to me. 

Try for half a day not to say or imply anything negative about the people in your life today.  After you've successfully done thins, get in touch with yourself and ask, "Did that feel good?"

If we can focus on seeing and pointing out the good in everyone, we will develop a sense of genuine caring for everyone.  We will seek out good and proclaim it.  People will like us and want to spend more time with us because we are kind and this kindness breeds happiness. 

What we say builds what we feel.  If we talk bad about someone, then we feel negative about them.  With this view, we will only see the bad in them and proclaim it.  We can't help but feel negative and start attacking ourselves. 

 

 Warren, S. 2010, 7 Ancient Keys To Happiness, CreateSpace Independent Publishing Platform