Happiness Again

I posted the items below on another thread. However, I thought may be useful to start another thread on this.

Stop doing this, if you want to achieve happiness, contentment, fulfilment or whatever you want to call it??



Holding on to the past
Negative Self Talk
Procrastinating
Blaming Others
Living for a pay cheque
Never opening the door to challenge
Comparing yourself to others
Not being nice to yourself
Trying to be someone your not.

Anything else????



MTR

 

From the internet:

Think that blowing off somebody elses candle will make yours shine brighter.

 

Seeing yourself as identical to your thoughts/feelings/emotions, rather than independent from them.

 

Happiness is the journey, don't miss it

 

Happiness is like peeing in your pants, everyone can see it, but only you can feel it's warmth

 

Fantastic

 

These are emotions/attitudes that you should try to resist to be happy with oneself and life.

Anger
Arrogance
Blame
Comparing
Complaining
Competing
Condemn
Contending
Criticism
Cynicism-distrust of others
Dishonesty
Doubt
Egocentric
Envy
Egotism
Excuses
Fear
Fault Finding
Greed
Hatred
Intolerance
Judgement
Jealously
Laziness
Negative thoughts
Procrastination
Regrets
Revenge
Selfishness
Worry

 

Morality - performing wholesome deeds and refraining from actions that harm others
Retaining and growing your virtues
Learning how to nip negative emotions in the bud before they escape and multiply themselves
Striving to become a better person through self awareness
Don't forget the above - and enjoy the happy rewards you create through more peace of mind and contentment

 

What makes you happy?

Happiness is an attitude that makes you appreciate and enjoy where you are, who you are, what you have, and what you are doing. As Calvin realizes when he looks at Hobbes lying in the sunny field, “It’s hard to argue with someone who looks so happy.”

 

Interesting concept. Please tell me more.

 

Speaking from experience,? I hear nappy pants are just as satisfactory but less revealing.

 

The fact that thoughts/emotions/feelings/physical sensations are merely things that arise spontaneously–without your control, input or intent–and then pass away equally spontaneously, is something I discovered through my practice of mindfulness meditation (Vipassana).

You can learn a lot about yourself when you sit, eyes closed, and simply observe everything as it arises and passes away.

After hundreds of sum hours invested in mindfulness, I see how easily my conscious experience was previously so easily hijacked by my stream of thoughts. One led into another and then another and I'd be swept downstream in a random river of endless thinking and feel like I was identical to my thoughts rather than separate from them.

I prefer, now, to stand on the banks of the river of thought most of the time and see them for what the are: events arising in consciousness; not me.

It's liberating.

 

Steve

But how do you get in this space? Tried meditation, but still a million thoughts in my head, obviously doing something wrong

Mtr

 

I think it's a matter of listening to your thoughts rather than just absorbing them and accepting them as fact. So many thoughts are unhelpful, untrue and emotion driven, but simply accepted because we don't have a filter. 'Standing on the river bank' as Steven says, let's you observe your thoughts as a bystander rather than being attached to them. When you're separate from them you can look at them much more objectively and effectively pick and choose, rejecting the thoughts that aren't helpful or true.

 

We are shaped by our thoughts; we become what we think. When the mind is pure, joy follows like a shadow that never leaves.
Buddha

 

I used to think meditation was a "stress reduction" technique and thought I didn't need it and that is was kinda weird. In fact, I used to (ignorantly) make fun of it.

But after encountering study after study showing the massive benefits–scientists were finding it improved happiness, decision making, strenghtened neuronal connections and load of other stuff– I decided it might be worthwhile. I did some digging an realised that there was enormous benefit to be had so I committed to giving it a fair go.

That meant very dedicated practice, for as long as it took to see results.

I started out listening to guided meditation by Sam Harris (http://www.samharris.org/blog/item/mindfulness-meditation) and Jon Kabat-Zinn (he's done 3 x multi-CD programs). I did this for at least 30 minutes daily for more than a year.

I saw little impact for months but had committed to finding what there was to find, so I kept at it. Every day.

Then as I refined my technique and my practice improved, skills of observation got deeper, I started to find incredible benefits and things snowballed.

At my peak, I was practicing 10+ hours a week. Best time I have ever invest in myself. By FAR.

Then, maybe 18 months in, I went on my first 10 day Vipassana course (in the blue mountains) and gained a laser-like clarity in my "lens of observation". Haven't been the same since. It was gruelling, but profoundly beneficial.

I did a second 10 day course a year later.

And I still practice daily.

 

I like this one as well,

Thousands of candles can be lighted from a single candle, and the life of the candle will not be shortened. Happiness never decreases by being shared.
Buddha

 

This resonates deeply with me. Bang on.

 

I find this fascinating. I am going to research this further.

Thanks

MTR

 

Very interesting. I will look into it more. I have had a go of meditation, but this was more like sitting (or lying) still for 30mins. Without any resources/training/education I didn't really know what I was doing.
I too have read a lot on the benefits of this (and yoga style exercise). Unfortunately the only resources I have are web based - and its hard to learn something like meditation/mindfulness sitting watching a screen.

Thanks for the info - I would welcome more info about how you got into it and your 'journey' if you will. Maybe another thread?

Blacky