3 things we must do every morning. Many of us say that life is either good or bad to us. The statement, “I hope life is treating you well” is an example of this. However, the real question that I ask this week is this: “Are you treating life well?
By looking at life from the perspective that we have an active role in how “good” or “bad” our life has been, we start to feel a sense of empowerment rather than of victimisation. That is not to say that we don’t all meet challenges along the way. Victor Frankl, the Jewish psychiatrist who survived Auschwitz and was exposed to the most adverse of conditions said: 3 things we must do every morning
“Everything can be taken from a man but one thing: the last of the human freedoms—to choose one’s attitude in any given set of circumstances, to choose one’s own way.” Viktor E. Frankl, Man’s Search for Meaning
Following on from my Positive Pause last week about Carpe Diem, spontaneity, seizing the day and making the most of our lives, I just had to share the video below with you. Sadhguru is an Indian spiritual Yogi leader and a man of many talents. He studied English literature in his youth and has inspired hundreds of thousands of people to live their lives to their fullest potential. One of his famous quotes is:
“If you choose, you can be joyful every moment of your life. It’s time you made your choice.”
Sadhguru
This week, I welcomed the opportunity that mid-term can give us to come off the merry-go-round of school runs, activities and also juggling full-time work and instead to be able to spend time with my family and friends, to watch movies, read books and generally just be. I even found myself knitting- something I haven’t done for probably 30 years! I found it a very therapeutic activity and it connected me back to the 10-year-old who loved to create new things. I remember a jumper that I knitted that was hilariously misshapen and yet I was so proud of it.
We all need to slow down a little sometimes so that we can build a reserve of physical and mental energy for when life picks up again. Maintaining that slow pace and connecting with it no matter what mayhem is going on outside is a skill worth cultivating.
Many of us search for things that will give us clear instructions on how we can be truly happy and attain the sense of joy that Sadhguru refers to in the above quote. In the video entitled “3 Things We Must Do Every Morning” he captures this concept very succinctly.
I am now making a mental note to choose to treat my life well in the coming week. What choice will you make? I hope you enjoy the video – it really does but things into perspective.
“We will go out into the world and plant gardens and orchards to the horizons. We will build roads through the mountains and across the deserts and irrigate the deserts until there will be gardens everywhere and plenty for all. And there will be no more empires or kingdoms…No more slavery, no more property and no more taxes, no more rich and no more poor, no killing or maiming or torture, or execution, no more jailers, no more prisoners, no more armies, no more navies …No more suffering than what life brings us from having to be born and having to die. And then we will see what kind of creatures we really are.”
Indian Raja- 19th Century- on how to increase the infrastructure in Indiacreate your own utopia
A lot of my work is based on the positive psychology movement which has a simple basic principle – by focusing on what is good and positive in our lives we go beyond surviving to reach a place where we are thriving. Martin Seligman, the father of the movement, is something of a hero of mine. For many years he studied psychology from the traditional viewpoint which is to identify and fix what was WRONG with the human psyche. However, since then he has conducted a lot of research into how we can increase our happiness and what happens on an individual, collective and political level when we do.
Like many of you, I was tired on Friday evening after a long week of work. I was sewing the badges onto Luca’s new Cubs sweater and put on Youtube to watch a lecture that Seligman gave in London in May of this year as part of his actionforhappiness campaign. More details can be found here: www.actionforhappiness.org
At the end of the lecture he read the quote above from an Indian Raja and hearing this Luca piped up “That’s what I want to see in the world!” I have to admit I was pretty impressed by his ability to multi-task as he also happened to be playing Minecraft at the same time. It is amazing how children can soak in everything about them.
The ideas expressed in the Raja’s quote might be dismissed as “naive” and “utopian” but I think that we can all take something away from this wise Raja. Our ability to focus on what we do want rather than what we don’t is paramount to our mental well-being. Refusing to focus on all that is wrong in the world, let us nurture and grow what is right.
This week, I ask you to do one simple thing – every time you find something you are less than happy with choose instead to focus on what is already good about the situation. If you have any challenges or problems, big or small, focus on the solution and the desired outcome rather that what could have or should have happened.
By following this principle of positive psychology, you may not necessarily create a utopia or irrigate all of India but you will have made a decision to use the daily opportunity to be the very best person you can be and to make your small corner of the world as positive as possible for those who inhabit it. create your own utopia
Many thanks for subscribing to the Positive Pause. If you enjoy these posts please encourage your friends and family to subscribe by sharing using the links below.
Please also check out my online, self-help programme, The Positive Habit which is receiving five-star reviews from subscribers who have completed the course.
Fiona Brennan on alustforlife.com discusses the reason why so many of us are many of us living stressed lives, rather than thriving.
Until the birth of the Positive Psychology movement, most psychologists concerned themselves with fixing unhappiness, anxiety, stress and depression. By contrast, the basic premise of Positive Psychology is to reach beyond a normal state (where we feel we are merely coping or just plodding along) and to tap into our ability to flourish. In other words, to go beyond survivingto a state of thriving. Read more here…
dafdaf dfdf adffad afdfffds ggdgsd agdgadg a gga gg aaa a aggegsa a aga aga ag a ag ag agasg ag ag agas gag asg ag
My work as a Clinical Hypnotherapist is about helping people to use their subconscious minds in a way that benefits them mentally, physically, emotionally and psychologically. I believe in helping people to train their subconscious minds not just to overcome unwanted negative thought and behavioural patterns but to reach their full positive potential. suggestible subconsciousous
I feel very fortunate that I am able to help people bring out the best in themselves and to lead happy, successful and peaceful lives. Many clients report transformations quite quickly and are often amazed at the shift in their perspectives. A good example would be the shift from dependency on emotional eating to choosing to release emotions in a safe and healthy way such as going for a run or to a yoga class. The truth is that these transformations are simply the subconscious mind responding to the client’s conscious commands.
Your subconscious is incredibly susceptible to suggestion and, like a child, it generally believes what you tell it. Hence the thoughts you have are paramount to the life you create.
This week, each morning practise this uplifting affirmation which focuses on the choice we all have to be the master of our minds.
First thing when you open your eyes, say to yourself with feeling and energy:
‘Today I choose happiness, health and success. I choose love and harmony in all my relations. I choose peace and serenity for my mind.’
As the day progresses and if you find yourself slipping from this mindset, gently remind yourself of the choice you have made. It is not the events that happen in your life that shape you, but your response to them; how you respond is your choice. By programming your subconscious first thing in the morning you are literally wiring yourself for wellness.
Ask An Expert: How to Improve Your Life Using DIY Hypnotherapy
Katie Mythen-Lynch interviews Fiona Brennan, Clinical Hypnotherapist and creator of The Positive Habit, Six Pathways to Positivity – Digital, Self-Help Programme. Discussed is hypnotherapy, conscious eating and mindfulness and how to deal with negative thoughts, feelings, emotions or behaviour. Read more here…
For more information and to take the anxiety/self-esteem test to see if the program is right for you please visit thepositivehabit.com
We use cookies to ensure that we give you the best experience on our website. If you continue to use this site we will assume that you are happy with it.Ok
3 things we must do every morning. Many of us say that life is either good or bad to us. The statement, “I hope life is treating you well” is an example of this. However, the real question that I ask this week is this: “Are you treating life well?
