7th Heaven

…a lifelong journey.

PART 1.

I believe that the purpose of life is to be happy. – Dalai Lama

After having 7th Heaven proofread I realized, and my reader realized it was pretty long, too long for one sitting. In thinking of my readers and supporters, I have decided to make it a two-part read in hopes that I keep your attention and not drive you crazy. In part 1 we will discuss Mindfulness, Gratefulness, and Adversity. In part 2 we will cover Physical Health, Generosity, Relationships, and our Life Inventory. You might be thinking how the hell does any of that have to do with happiness? Well, it has a lot to do with happiness as you will see. Join me on this journey to a happier life.

Society would have us believe that happiness is going to college, getting a degree, finding your dream job, getting married, having kids, and retiring in your dream home. Society would also have us believe that happiness comes from fancy cars, huge houses, boats, money, private planes, and of course being famous. #tiktok If we hit all those milestones in life we’ll be happy. After living a hard and fast 39 years on this huge rock, I have come to understand that happiness is none of the above and can honestly say that society is wrong and full of shit on just about everything. Stop listening to society’s expectations and stop comparing yourself to others.

“According to a recent study everyone attempts to find happiness in three ways: Doing good for others; doing things you’re good at; and doing things that are good for you.” – Northwestern Medicine.

Those who are happiest also seem to be the most optimistic. Happiness is closely tied to being happy with your job, your closest relationships, and taking care of yourself physically and emotionally.

“Insanity is doing the same thing over and over and expecting different results” – Albert Einstein

If you are seeing the same results in your life and nothing is changing, then it’s time to change it. No one is coming to save you! Your happiness is entirely dependent on you, the choices you make, and your mindset. It’s time to change you. Be bold, be daring, be unafraid, and shake your life tree a little. Try anything, just don’t do what you have been doing. Live a true life. Live your true life. Try therapy, meet new people, find a new job, exercise, find your faith, quit smoking, eat healthier, and do anything that is different from your normal routine and habits. Your daily habits will guide your life and are a pretty good indicator of where your future is going.

Don’t waste energy regretting the way things are or thinking about what might have been. Transform yourself today from the inside out. You have the power within you to change today for tomorrow. Do not give into fear or worry those robbers of abundant living. Do not allow your past or current situation to hold you, prisoner. Life is too short not to be happy.

“Above all else, guard your heart, for it is the wellspring of life” – Proverbs 4:23

Every day is a new day to begin the life you want. Transformation takes time. As they say Rome wasn’t built in a day, but you can destroy Rome in a day. Are you building the life you want or destroying it? Be patient and give yourself grace during your building phase. It’s not easy to change lifelong habits or bring to light the parts of your life that are making you unhappy.

“Genuine happiness and satisfaction must come from within. The basic elements for that are compassion and human affection” – Dalai lama

MINDFULNESS

Where your mind goes so shall your life. It is important to remember that our thoughts dictate our direction and path in life which ultimately affects our happiness. Life is determined by the whispers you speak to yourself. We are not our thoughts; however, we should be aware of them. Life cannot be changed without changing our thinking. Your reality is created by what you focus on and how you choose to interpret it.

“The happiness of your life depends upon the quality of your thoughts. Therefore, guard accordingly, and take care that you entertain no notions unsuitable to virtue and reasonable nature” – Marcus Aurelius

When you focus on what you don’t have, or on situations that displease you, your mind also becomes darkened. Part of being unhappy stems from the wants or “do not haves” in your life. It stems from constantly seeking more. Seeking more will also shift our mindset away from gratefulness and thinking about all the things which we do not have will disrupt the peace inside us. I want a new boat. I want a new house. I want a new partner, I want, I want, I want. Comparison and greed will block all the beautiful rays of sunshine you already have in life. Find all the little blessings in your life that you might take for granted. For instance, start by being thankful for running water, clean water, a roof over your head, a nice bed, the ability to put food on your plate, a job, friends…Some people don’t have some of those or any of those. I’m also willing to bet you have a lot more to be grateful for than just those basic blessings in life, perhaps the smartphone or computer you are reading this blog on? It might be cliché, and it might sound stupid to you, but the moment you start being grateful for the very basics in your life, it will begin to shift your perspective on life and begin to bring joy and happiness to your soul. It also will be the stepping stone for bigger blessings to come.

“Evil thoughts and deeds produce conditions of suffering; good thoughts and deeds determine conditions of blessedness” – James Allen

It all begins and ends with your mindset, and your thoughts. Your thoughts can create happiness or create unhappiness. Sometimes it’s not the event itself that causes the pain, it’s our view and our thoughts of the event that cause the pain.

If you are rehearsing your troubles, it only results in experiencing them many times over again. Causing more pain and suffering. We must shift to a positive mindset. A shift in our thoughts for us to see all the blessings in our lives. A negative mind will never lead to a positive life.

What is the antidote? A quick and easy shift is changing our mindset to gratefulness. Being grateful protects your heart from negative thinking. This is something you must do every time negative thoughts appear. This is something we must work on for the rest of our lives. We are a constant work in progress. Life is a beautiful ride! Constantly moving, flipping, turning, twisting, and speeding up and slowing down. In order to grow and become a better version of ourselves, we must keep moving forward and evolving.

“We are disturbed not by what happens to us, but by our thoughts about what happens”- Epictetus

Exercise: Follow your thoughts throughout the day, and notice how they make you feel in moments of anger, jealousy, frustration, fear, etc. Be mindful of what the subject or issue is. Feel all the feels. Later in the day if you are still dwelling on the same thoughts be mindful again of how they make you feel. You may need to address them and have a chat with yourself. Being mindful during these times can lead us to understand what our triggers are and how to address them better the next time they arise.

GRATEFULNESS

A grateful heart protects you from negative thinking. Jealousy and pride are the roots of anger and resentment. If these thoughts are left to fester, they can also start to take root in your heart and soul causing great pain and darkness. Your habits flow out of your heart. Your habits are daily choices you make without thinking. Thankfulness lifts you up above your circumstances. Genuine happiness and satisfaction must come from within. It’s impossible to be grateful and unhappy at the same moment in time. Try it.

“Whenever you feel envy, let your feelings of envy serve as a signal to reset your focus on those things for which you are grateful” – Steven K. Scott

Exercise: Make a list of things you are grateful for. This will help you visually see all the many blessings you have in your life and how much you do have to be grateful for.

Things that give happiness

• Gratefulness/Thankfulness
• Kindness
• Exercise
• Being outside/wilderness
• Compassion
• Latte

Some simple daily pleasures of mine that bring me great happiness are:

• Morning workout
• Morning coffee shop time
• Reading
• Writing/blogging
• Painting
• Afternoon coffee shop time
• Working on my life journal
• I also tell myself how blessed and fortunate I am to be able to do those and have those in my life. That mindset brings me even more happiness.

“If you want others to be happy, practice compassion. If you want to be happy, practice compassion”  – Dalai Lama 

If you are having trouble finding answers or are just unsure ask yourself this question, what doesn’t make me happy? Answering that question can help guide you in the right direction to find what does make you happy.

Barriers that prevent you from being happy:

• Looking for happiness in the wrong places
• Lack of gratefulness
• Envy
• A sense of entitlement
• Foolishness
• Comparison
• Jealousy
• Poor diet
• Lack of exercise
• Negative talk
• Too much Alcohol/drugs
• Stored up anger/resentment
• Lack of forgiveness

We won’t allow our current circumstances to weigh us down or hold us back from being happy and enjoying life.

ADVERSITY

Adversity provides us with the opportunity to develop our character in a natural, recurring, and powerful way that only challenges of adversity offer. Struggles will build strength allowing you to be strong when others are struggling. In the midst of a category 5 hurricane in your life, you may be the safe and calm harbor for others in theirs. You have weathered storms before, you will make it through this one and sail off calm seas yet again. If you can be grateful in hard times, you’ll have the proper perspective to welcome the good times. Eyes open, full hearts. Struggles help shape your character and expand your capacity. Helping those in need when you are hurting also takes great strength and love.

“The ultimate measure of a man is not where he stands in moments of comfort and convenience, but where he stands at times of challenge and controversy” – MLK JR.

There are two benefits we receive from adversity that cannot be acquired through any other means. First, you develop qualities of patience, strength, courage, compassion, kindness, love, humility, and faith. Second, you become infinitely more valuable to others when they experience adversity. There is always a blessing in disguise in every situation. Something greater always comes out of moments that test you. Keep advancing. Keep rising. Keep believing.

 “My grace is sufficient for you, for My strength is made perfect in weakness” 2 Corinthians 12:7-10

Stay tuned…Part 2 coming soon. As always thanks for reading and for your support and feedback. My goal for any of my writings is to inspire, help heal, help grow, help in any way, and of course, shed some new light on life

Cheers.

Fish