Most of us are usually in a rush to do something or be somewhere that we seldom slow down to cherish the wonderful experiences we’ve already had in our lives.
Now at the outset, I have to tell you that I won’t be able to make you happy or smile, as I’ve said in the title of this post — without your cooperation.
I’ll need you to do something that you may feel lazy and have some inner resistance with — but it’s nothing complicated. All you need to do is slow down and think deeply.
So I want you to take a deep breath and slowly go over these next few lines. Take your time with this. There is no need to rush.
Perhaps, grabbing a book and writing the thoughts that pop into your mind as you read these words will make this a more enjoyable experience. So let’s begin.
· What is the nicest thing someone has said to you? How did it make you feel?
· What is your fondest memory from your childhood?
· What is your favourite memory from your school/college days?
· What is the funniest thing you have ever heard?
· What is the most thoughtful thing someone has done for you?
· What is your proudest accomplishment?
· When is the last time you can remember feeling totally at peace?
· What are you most grateful for in your life?
The takeaway
If you really took the time to think deeply about these questions, I’m guessing you would be feeling much better than before reading this post.
You would have noticed that simply by focusing your mind on something pleasant, you were able to feel much better almost instantly.
Our imagination is a powerful thing that can instantly transform how we feel from one moment to the next.
That’s why great authors can make you feel a wide array of emotions from joy, thrill, excitement, anger, frustration, even though, all you are doing is reading a bunch of words.
The trouble is that most of the time our minds are on autopilot and we have the habit of using our imagination to focus on unpleasant things and we needlessly suffer.
As Mark Twain once remarked “I am an old man and have known a great many troubles, but most of them never happened.”
We may often blame other people or external events for making us feel bad, but often the truth is that we suffer because we are not in control of our own mind more than anything else.
A large part of being happy in the long-term requires having conscious control of your mind. And that’s something nobody can help you with but yourself. (Having a daily practice of meditation can go a long way in having better control of your mind.)
Most of the time, whether we are aware of it or not, there is an inner monologue going on in our minds which determines how we are feeling in the moment.
The moment that you notice your mind is dwelling on unpleasant thoughts, you can always change how you are feeling inside by shifting what you chose to focus your mind on.
If you found this post useful, please share it with others— I'd really appreciate it.
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