Where is Your Happiness? Past, Present, or Future??
Achieving a level of personal happiness previously unknown is closer than you think. Much closer. But first, it's important to stay in touch with the present.
"Stay in touch with the present? I'm thinking?I'm already IN the present!"
Well, certainly we all are in the present, since there is nowhere else to be, but that doesn't mean our thoughts are in the present. And therein lay the challenges to our own personal happiness.
We as humans are the rarest of all species in that not only can we think, but we can think about our thinking.
And you can use this process of being aware of your self-thoughts to help you achieve contentment. It's important for you to challenge what you see and believe. This insures that your view of the world matches reality. So often what we believe is the truth, is nothing more than glimpses of the past, present, and future.
We often take only the bad from the past, quickly breeze through the present, and falsely make up the future. The result is frequently guilt about your imperfect past, anxiety about a future that doesn't exist, and impatience with the Now.
But it is the Now which can help us to live our lives today, fully alive, happy and content.
To prove the value of the present to yourself, try this:
Take a moment and sit in a comfortable place and observe.
- What do you see? Describe the images around you.
- What sounds are there? How many can you hear?
- Can you smell different smells? (Some are pleasant, some maybe not!)
- Tell yourself how the surfaces around you feel, the chair, the rug under your feet, the tightness or looseness of your clothing.
- And finally, what tastes are apparent in your mouth?
Take a few minutes and reconnect with the world as you experience it in the now.
If you are like most people, what you experienced is a wonderful feeling of aliveness. Rarely do we allow ourselves the opportunity to enjoy the moment. But the moment is the only reality we know. It is exactly the way it should be and it cannot be anything more than that.
But we repeatedly make it out to be different. And by doing so, we have lost the opportunity to fully experience the rain, the children playing, the learning to be achieved by listening to the world seen through a grandparent's eyes, or a friend sharing one of his or her own moments. Too often we are too caught up in what will happen, or what has happened, to experience what IS happening.
This is not to say that planning for the future is unimportant, or that reminiscing is not useful and enjoyable in itself. But unfortunately, too often we become entangled in a future that has not happened and become stifled by our predictions.
We run from the saber tooth tiger that no longer exists in our modern day world. The tiger has been replaced with confronting a friend, giving a speech, driving over a bridge, or feeling discomfort from changing a habit. We create absolute horror from an uncertain future that we make real in the moment.
Staying in the moment awards you the opportunity to see the world as it is, not as you believe it should be. It allows you to observe the truth, to look at real data, not information couched in fears and anxiety.
And it is this truth, which will allow you to enjoy yourself, others, and the world around you. Because, it is exactly as it should be. You can manage any life event that presents itself. Why?? Because everyone does. You can choose to do it with pain or without pain. The evidence for these statements is present in the moment.
Dr. David L. Thomas, LMHC
About The Author
Dr. Thomas is a Licensed Mental Health Counselor with a practice in Tampa, FL. He has been counseling people to feel better for over 21 years. This article is posted at www.stressgroup.com. He is also the co-author of Quit Smoking-Be Happy!-see www.quitsmoking-behappy.com to learn more.
Latest News
 guardian.co.uk | Twitter hacker says admin password was 'happiness' Los Angeles Times, CA - Happiness. The hack victim, a Twitter staffer who goes by the name Crystal on the social network, used that nine-letter word as the password for her account ... Twitter Hacker Says Admin Password Was 'Happiness' Simple, brute-force dictionary attack was used on Twitter Password guessing attack exposed in Twitter pwn |
Ten Ways To Be Happier Now Forbes, NY - It might seem that happiness is in short supply these days. Still-slumping housing prices, bleak consumer spending, high unemployment and a recession are ... |
 The Sun | Ofsted rates children's happiness The Press Association - The data gives each local authority a score on five different measures - the emotional health of children (happiness), bullying, participation in "positive" ... Inner London teenagers least likely to take drugs Half of all pupils are bully victims Region's children happiest in country, data shows |
Get High on Happiness: Jewishinstlouis.org, MO - By Max Weiman According to the Book of Creation, (an ancient kabbalistic book written by the patriarch, Abraham) every month has a Hebrew letter associated ... |
 Metro | Twitter 'happiness' hack exposed Britney Metro, UK - ... but then discovered she was a staff member called Crystal with access to all profiles and passwords. Her simple password, Happiness, was easy to crack. |
It's Never Too Late: Happiness Now! Examiner.com - OK So sometime in December I was minding my own business and I get this email that I missed because I was very busy minding my own business but actually the ... |
Bihar government jobs bringing happiness but with pain Indian Muslims, CA - By Abdul Wahid Azad, During the last few years some positive changes took place in the Indian province of Bihar which was earlier dubbed as BIMARU state of ... |
It's Nothing but Happiness For Kate and Len PopSugar.com, CA - Kate Beckinsale and Len Wiseman traveled with Lily from London to LA over the weekend and then hit the streets for some grocery shopping yesterday. ... |
Happiness in hockey Morgan Hill Times, CA - At the Sharks Ice in San Jose, a hodgepodge group of men sporting full hockey pads, carrying sticks and wearing face masks emerges from the rink-side locker ... |
Happiness is ... Enid News & Eagle, OK - Ask each one their definition of happiness and you would likely get 6.7 billion different answers. Some people say being rich would make them happy, ... |
Resources
-
Save Your Relationship, Save Your Marriage, Stop Your Divorce, Stop Your Break Ups, Broken Heart Adv
Save Relationship, Broken Heart, Breakup, Breaking up Advice, Save Marriage, Stops Divorce, Bring Back Lost Love
-
Mind Power Studio; the power of affirmations, subliminal messages and subconscious mind for self imp
Discover the power of affirmations, subliminal messages, self improvement,subconscious mind with Mind Power Studio
-
Mind Control Secrets for a Lifetime of Health, Happiness and Success
25 of the World's Great Masters Reveal the Secrets of Creating Wealth and Prosperity with the Power of Your Mind.
-
Eliminate Negative Thinking, Achieve Your Dreams - RightandWrongThinking.info
Take charge of your life and create the success and Happiness you want and deserve! Learn how to eliminate negative thoughts, control your mind and achieve your dreams. Why Learning to Control Negative Thoughts is the Key to Your Achieving Success!
-
Conquering Fear
Discover how to conquer fear.
-
The Motivated Mind - A Complete Guide to Personal Change
Motivation tips and techniques to help you achieve greater Happiness and success.
-
Mind Control Secrets for a Lifetime of Health, Happiness and Success
Step-by-step instructions in this absolute beginner's guide to using mind power for wealth.
-
Your Quantum Leap into the Understanding, Having and Enjoying of Immense Wealth and Happiness
Your Quantum Leap to Understanding, Having and Enjoying Immense Wealth & Happiness.
-
The Master Key System - Charles F. Haanel
The Master Key System by Charles Haanel. A 24-part course on achievement and success. Also, free books by Thomas Troward.
-
Yoga Health Secrets: relaxation, stress-relief, health and inner peace
Yoga Health Secrets is a comprehensive guide to yogic techniques for Happiness and good health.