Happiness is one of those things that we think is based on each
person's individual life situation. How much money do we have? Are we in
a fulfilling romantic relationship? Do we have the career of our
dreams? A great body? Most of us spend a large amount of our lives
striving for these things, thinking they are the keys to happiness
and peace of mind, only to find that once we get them, we keep wanting
the next thing. There's always a next desire waiting to be fulfilled,
with happiness dangling like a carrot just out of our reach. We always
want more, it seems, when it comes to the outside world. And I'm sure
you know people who seem to have it all but don't seem happy. So what
gives?
In The Happiness Prescription, spiritual teacher and author Deepak Chopra shares his 10 keys to true happiness.
First, Deepak examines the question: What is happiness,
anyway? He says when you really get down to it, people say they want
peace, harmony, laughter and love. He defines happiness as a subjective
state of well-being, joy and ease, when you're in the flow and things
just unfold as they're supposed to.
If you're happy, he says, you're going to be healthier, have better
relationships, do good/meaningful work and be successful and abundant --
not the other way around.
Deepak claims that there's a formula for happiness, which depends on three things:
Our brain's set point for happiness. One person sees
a problem where another sees an opportunity -- could this be
genetically determined? Deepak suggests that a regular meditation
practice can change this biological set point, along with cognitive
therapy (changing your false beliefs that are making you depressed).
Our life situation. Are you healthy? Do you have a
nice house? Did you win the lottery? These things may actually be a very
minor determinant of our happiness. They may make us happy in the
short-term, but down the road we will go back to our pre-programmed
happiness set point. A small percentage of our happiness quotient,
Deepak says, is actually based on our life situation.
Our voluntary actions and the choices we make.
Making choices that lead to fulfillment and deeper gratification really
makes us happy. Having a sense of accomplishment, making a difference in
the lives of others or in the world, feeling inspired, intuitive and
conscious. This can bring great happiness, and making other people happy
is what makes us most happy.
From a combination of ancient wisdom and more recent scientific research, Deepak derived his 10 keys to happiness:
1) Be aware of your body. Your body is a cosmic
computer of universal intelligence. Listen to your body's messages of
comfort and discomfort, and you'll spontaneously be able to make the
right choices.
2) Live in the present moment. Don't attach yourself
to anything or anticipate events. Just go with the flow, and you will
connect to the domain of consciousness called nirvana.
3) Embrace silence. Meditate and observe your breath. The silence space between your thoughts is a field of infinite possibilities.
4) Relinquish your need for external approval. Be free of both criticism and flattery. Feel neither superior or inferior to anyone.
5) Get rid of your toxic emotions. Having a grievance is like drinking poison and thinking it will kill your enemy. Let go of your hostilities and anger.
6) Have complete knowledge of yourself. The world is a mirror of your state of consciousness. Ask yourself, "Who am I? What do I want?"
7) Don't judge others and don't judge yourself. Wake
up and be thankful for being exactly as you are. Say to yourself,
"Today, I will judge nothing that occurs." Forgive your shadows and the
shadows of others.
8) Remove toxins from your life. Toxic substances, food, habits, emotions, work, relationships, environments, etc. It only creates imbalance in our lives.
9) Replace fear-based thinking with love-based thinking.
Every time you're making a choice, ask yourself if it's going to
cultivate the experience of unity and love or the experience of
separation and stress.
10) Witness your awareness. Witness yourself as if
in a movie. This means that you realize you're not your body or your
mind; you are the alert witness to your consciousness.
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For more on happiness, click here.
... and BBC has this to say...
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