A Happy Holiday!
13 Dec 2011 04:06:19 AM
Happiness is an Achievable State of Mind
“Happy Christmas” is probably the most common greeting you will see and hear everywhere in Hong Kong during this time of the year. To many, Christmas is a synonym for joy and happiness, but let’s take a moment to reflect on this. What does it mean to you when you wish for yourself—and others—a happy holiday? How can you make your wishes come true and make your holiday season a happy one?
Being with family and friends, the delight at opening longed-for gifts, feasting on good food or enjoying celebratory drinks may help to make your holiday a pleasant experience, but they do not guarantee you happiness. You may think that these external festive activities are what make you happy. But in fact happiness is internal. It is a state of mind.
Happiness is an Achievable Goal
We spend most of our life pursuing happiness. In his book “The Art of Happiness”, The Dalai Lama teaches that the purpose of our life, the very meaning of existence, is to seek happiness.
But what is real happiness? Do you just leave it to chance and hope that you somehow stumble upon it? Or is it something you can create in your life?
Happiness is largely determined by your outlook and has very little to do with absolute conditions. It is a function of how you perceive your situation, how satisfied you are with what you have. Kalu Rinpoche, a Buddhist meditation master and one of the first Tibetan scholars to teach in the West, once said, “As humans we suffer from not getting what we want and not keeping what we have.”
This does not preclude you from working for further success and achievement, but it shifts you from thinking “if I have more success, money, a loving partner, a Porsche, the latest smart phones and gadgets, then I will be able to do a lot more, and then I will be happy” to a mentality that allows you to learn to be happy, to do what you need to and to have what you need as a result of your actions.
Learn to be Truly Happy
Your mind is all that you need to achieve true happiness.
If you desire happiness you should seek that which gives rise to it. You need to identify, cultivate and focus on positive mental states. To borrow a teaching from the Buddhist scripture The Dhammapada—“Our life is shaped by the mind; we become what we think.”
Achieving genuine happiness may require bringing about a transformation in outlook and in your way of thinking. This is not a simple step, but with effort and determination, is possible.
When your mind changes, your brain changes, too. Researchers in neuroscience, through the use of Functional MRI Scanning (FMRI), are beginning to understand the interconnectivity between the mind and the brain. We are able to tap into the brain’s neuroplasticity, and to stimulate and strengthen the neural foundations of happiness. By applying teachings of ancient wisdom and contemplative traditions to the brain, neural pathways to happiness, love and wisdom are revealed.
Here are two practices to help you start off on your journey to true happiness. Make them a habit!
1. Meditate
Make it a discipline, a part of your life as much as eating breakfast or drinking a cup of coffee. Even 10 minutes a day, sitting still and quietly, without interruption will make a noticeable difference in a very short time. Set a timer. In your mind, put all your thoughts into a bag and put it down beside you. Sit with straight spine, feet on the ground. Pay attention to your breath, no controlling it but simply paying attention to the rise and fall of your chest and belly. You may want to count from 1 to10 and back down from 10 to 1. It is normal for the mind to wander and when it does, just return to the breath. When your meditation comes to an end notice how you feel and enjoy the good it brings to you. And know that this comes from within.
2. Focus on the positive
Carefully select what you choose to pay attention to. Is your glass half full or half empty? Look for the good things in your life, however small (or big!) they might be and, through your attention, grow them. While we may not be conscious of it, we do make choices moment by moment about what we think about and feel. If something makes you feel unhappy, let it go.
When a thought crosses your mind, does it like what it sees? What do you allow into your mind?
So don’t simply wish for happiness this holiday season. Instead spend some time reflecting on your state of mind. In 2012 give yourself the precious gift of taking steps towards creating your own real happiness.
Catriona Rogers, M.A. Dip M.S, M. Ed (counselling), will be writing a series of articles on mental health and well-being. Stay tuned for the next entry on Wellness News.
Make positive changes for your health and wellness, one step at a time. We at IMI can help you protect your health and achieve long-term goals of total wellness. Visit our website www.imi.com.hk or stay connected on our Facebook page www.facebook.com/imihk. For more information, call 2523 7121.
