Finding Happiness Takes Practise!

Hello


Today it is pouring with rain! The ceiling above my window is leaking and I am sitting in the dark trying to see the keys so I can write while my baby sleeps in my lap. It's not exactly what I would call A Recipe For Joy!

In fact I woke up feeling pretty awful, perhaps I had too much sleep! I have just re-read my recipe for joy and was struck by how much good advice it contains, just reading it made me feel much better, and realise I have not been following my own advice, how funny! 


As I read it I thought about what I have been doing regularly to feel as good as I can,  and what I could try doing right now to improve my feelings. What I could do right now, with a sleeping baby on my lap, is sit up straight and adopt a winning position!


So I have just spent a good five minutes silently posturing in front of my mirror, so as not to wake the baby, and guess what? It worked! I feel much better! I never would have thought that something as simple as acting like I have just won a prize or a race, or dancing to silent music, which only I can hear, could significantly improve my mood, but it does!!! If the world could have seen me do that it would have laughed with me! 

I have heard the phrase, 'fake it to make it', many times, and I think I would have to say that it seems to me that it implies some sort of false behaviour, when actually if pretending to feel good brings about good feelings then there is no fakeness involved. In this case it's a bit more like practising feeling good. Perhaps feeling good does take practise? If I am used to feeling miserable or just a bit flat then I am well practised at that, so perhaps I need a lot more practise at feeling happy!


I have just searched google images for 'happy people', the majority of them have their hands in the air, so I also tried waving my hands in the air whilst smiling for a few minutes, this definitely works too! It would make perfect sense that if one wants to feel happy the simplest way to do it must be to find out what happy looks like and mimic it! 
Happy people also jump, laugh, skip, run about and hug each other, according to the pictures. 


Perhaps I sound a little cynical, but I don't feel it! I feel a little genuine enlightenment. I think life is fairly simple, here we are having a physical experience, happiness cannot be that complicated really, otherwise I don't think the world would have quite such a large population. There are no courses in happiness, that I know of, one does not need qualifications, and intelligence certainly does not seem to help in the quest for happiness. 


We choose happiness, acting as if I am happy makes me feel good. If I want to feel a certain way I must be it also. I am going to study happy people, the way they walk, the way they talk, and how often they wave their arms in the air!!!!


I am back now after a break for most of the day and what struck me the most about today was that my good mood, brought on by my winning postures, arm waving and forced smiles, lasted! It lasted all day! 


Happiness is a state of mind,it is here in my heart all the time, and no matter what my circumstances happiness is here for me to enjoy, sometimes I may need to find a key to unlock it and others it simply is my orientation. 




Today I am Thankful for my sense of humour
I am Thankful for funny pictures of happy people
I am Thankful for jumping and skipping
I am Thankful for the dark moments which help me to find the keys to the light
I am Thankful for that winning position
I am Thankful for the great outdoors
I am Thankful for my friends
I am Thankful for the stars
I am Thankful for my coverlet
I am Thankful for my cosy pillows


goodnight love Klara.