After I cleared my incoming email recently of non-essential messages, five remained. “How curious,” I thought as two of the five messages pertained to happiness. One was from the Daily Good, which opened with the above quote from Chuang Tzu. Simple, refreshing and clean. The other was from publishing coach, Robin Hoffman, with details about another happiness book.

Next I typed “happiness” into the Yahoo search engine and noted 227,000,000 results! A Google search on the same term yielded 54,300,000 results. Far fewer, yet overwhelming.

What is it about happiness, I thought? The more we seem to pursue it, the further from our grasp it seems to be. Then I returned to the Chuang Tzu quote. It’s all right there. Stop doing and start being. Experiment with withdrawing your attention from the pursuit of happiness and decide to BE happy. Experience happiness in the moment, in every moment. Try it and share your experiences with us via comments to this blog or on our Living Energy Facebook page.

Related articles

• Livia Kohn, Ph.D.: Chuang-tzu: The Tao of Perfect Happiness (huffingtonpost.com)

I have heard many times that emotional imbalances are the root of all illness. It follows that when we dissolve or heal the emotional trigger, we heal ourselves. It sounds easy. In my opinion, however, it is a life-long process. Learning to heal our emotional wounds is what our lives are all about. Every event, interaction and relationship provides ample opportunity for practice.

One of the dilemmas is that the root causes of the triggers are often held in our subconscious, out of our awareness. So how can we deal with something that we aren’t even aware of? This is the Catch 22, the ago-old dilemma. After all, if we were aware of what needed to change, we could choose to change it. Correct? We could also save ourselves a lot of anguish, money, time and energy along the way.

Perhaps one of the problems is that we are using the wrong approach and incorrect tools. Rather than try to continually “do” something or “fix” yourself, maybe the solution is really to simply “be” who you really are. Being who you really are begins with accepting wherever you’re at right now. Accept and acknowledge how you are truly feeling. Once you accept things as they are, resistance falls away and a shift toward wholeness begins.

Accepting things as they are requires accepting personal responsibility for your role in it. This includes your perception of what is happening as well as your reaction to the world around you, particularly judgment of others. Play with the concept that others around you mirror what is happening and provide clues about what you need to accept, acknowledge, shift or change. Play with the concept that no one does anything to you. Those around you are merely a catalyst for things you are doing to yourself or aspects of yourself that you have hidden away. Acceptance and forgiveness provide the way out.

Play with the concept of softening your heart; practice being aware of your experiences and your feelings. Your feelings provide the clues. Any negative, low, tense or dense feelings indicate opportunities for change. Lighter, higher, and happier feelings move you up the scale towards unconditional love.

Healing our hearts in not about always being happy though. We are human. We will have ups and downs throughout our lives. If you can genuinely experience three times as many ups as downs, though, you will be well on your way to healing your heart.

Related articles

• The Difference Between Healing and Curing (pdresources.wordpress.com)

The Kindness Bus

I can understand this perspective. Kindness is a virtue that emanates from the heart, not the mind or the intellect. In my opinion, kindness is an automatic response when we cultivate love within our hearts, within ourselves. I can see where too much thinking about kindness might get you all mixed up inside. If you are arguing a point, the rational mind might suggest tossing aside civility and going for the jugular … win your argument at all costs.

What is “kindness” anyway and why is it important? The dictionary defines kindness as the quality of being friendly, generous, and considerate. Wikipedia indicates that kindness is the act or the state of being kind —marked by goodness and charitable behaviour, mild disposition, pleasantness, tenderness and concern for others. It is known as a virtue, and recognized as a value in many cultures and religions. In his book “Rhetoric,” Aristotle wrote that kindness is an emotion that is defined as being helpful to someone in need, not in exchange for anything or for an advantage to the helper. Kindness is about caring. Kindness is important because it holds the possibility of all of us creating a better world. We are all human and we are one global community. What we do to one another, we do to ourselves.

While Harvard debates kindness, the rest of us can model kindness. Act according to your heart. Do what feels right. To learn more, check out Random Acts of Kindness, One Million Acts of Kindness, Carry Out Kindness. They’ll take you to even more resources and sites.

Be kind to yourself today and be kind to everyone you meet.

Related articles

• Harvard’s ‘Kindness’ Pledge: (huffingtonpost.com)
• Harvard Pledge Values ‘Kindness’ Over Learning: Virginia Postrel (businessweek.com)

I also believe there is another compassion beyond that sourced in the conceptual …one that emerges from deep within a soulful person…one who has a profound connection with the rhythm. pain, beauty and harmony of life and living. This compassion flows from a fullness of heart and soul seemingly because it must — a clear, direct, honest expression of the inner being of that person. Energy, power, consciousness and passion blend in an exquisite web flung wide into the world to be shared with all—and to serve as a model of what possible for all should we choose to open to it.

Maya Angelou is such a soul. Her presence, voice and essence reaches deep inside those with ears to hear stirring latent soul qualities and encouraging them to be given birth through each one of us.

Is there a link between compassion and crime? As I listened to an NPR story about the drop in violent crime for the fourth consecutive year, I wondered if this is a reflection of society becoming more community-oriented, compassionate, caring and kind. I see more and more evidence of this every day every day. Yes, there are still those who don’t have a clue and continue to operate under old paradigms. Although such voices are loud, domineering and at times unbelievable, I am convinced that this is a dwindling population. As we withdraw our focus from what feels wrong and place our energy on what feels right, each of us will experience more of the inevitable shift in consciousness. It is a sign of our times.

Look around. “Doing good” is a growing movement. You will find ample evidence that people DO care about others. In my town a Fire Fighter grows fresh produce for our local food pantry and encourages others with gardens to drop off their extra produce so that those in need can eat fresh, seasonal vegetables. Our Helping Hands organization of volunteers provides those in need with things such as support for basic necessities, back to school clothes and school supplies, holiday food baskets, items that are ready to pass along (such as bikes) and more. Some people contribute money, some contribute items, some contribute time. Some people do all three. What’s going on in your family, community, or social network that is “doing good” for others?

Daily inspiration is readily available. The Good News Network is in its 15^th year of providing good news to its internet readers. They provide inspiring stories of people doing the right thing world-wide. The Daily Good, another online resource, has been providing inspiration to its subscribers since 1998, almost as long. The mainstream media is also hopping on the bandwagon. Compared to prior years, more and more time and space is dedicated to human interest stories that encourage, stimulate interest, and inspire our spirit. These are just a few examples. I know that there are many more.

As we “do good” for others, I believe that each of us becomes more compassionate, caring and kind. Being part of the same human family, deep down we have similar needs and wants. What’s “out there” in the big, wide world is a reflection of what’s “inside,” closer to home, as reflected in our community, family, and individual consciousness. As we continue to shift and change for the better, the world around us will too.

One of the most effective ways to make a difference is to do “the work” on yourself. Consciously release your resistance to what “is”, accept things as they are, and change what you can. As you work with your own energy, the energy around you will shift as well. If you don’t believe it, just play with this concept. You will soon see evidence of your thoughts, feelings and beliefs playing out in front of you. Sometimes we are blind to this. As you tune in and observe what really shows up in your world each day, you may be delighted to realize how you, the observer, can change what is being observed. The world is one big mirror of our collective consciousness. We are all responsible for what is going on. You can begin by being more compassionate, caring and kind with yourself. Just do a little bit more every day. When you have a setback, accept it and begin again. Living your life this way can be a lot of fun and make a big difference in the world at large.

Our violent crime rate has dropped for four consecutive years. This is a good thing and each of us has contributed to it in one way or another. Maybe in 2012 we’ll see an even bigger jump. Let’s each BE the change we want to see in the world.

Related articles

• COSMIC Convergence – by Carl Calleman [topics include Elenin, pole shifts, consciousness shifts, and more]] (jhaines6.wordpress.com)
• World Peacemakers Call for 3-DAY Moratorium on All News 9/22-24 (news.yahoo.com)
• Clow’s 2011 Fall Equinox Report (deniselefay.wordpress.com)

Sometimes I find the talk in my head sounding like someone else is in charge of my energy or how I feel on any given day….to paraphrase A.Lamotte, sometimes my mind is like a bad neighborhood and I have no business going there! So then I remember…

Our energy system has a direct influence on our mind, body and spirit. It impacts health, moods,  outlook on life and much more. By tuning into our personal energy level throughout the day we can feel better and begin to develop a foundation for being able to expand our ability to manage, focus and channel energy/vitality.

1. Upon awakening, before you even get out of bed, notice how you feel. If you dreamt something that has a negative hangover effect, consciously release it. Use whatever means you can to accomplish this: EFT, breath-work, imagery and pivoting can help you shift your feelings.

2. Choose you emotional state for the day. Yes, you can! Let yourself feel ease, peace, well being to whatever level you can and imagine flowing that good feeling out from your deep inner center into your day.

3. As you move through the day notice what expands and opens you and make it a point to settle into these feelings. Appreciate and feel gratitude for all that is present that is adding to your life. (These feelings create very real biochemical and neuro-hormonal changes.)

4. Notice what triggers negative feelings or thought patterns and consciously release them as best you can as they arise. At times there may be a need for more than you can manage in the moment. If the latter is the case, schedule time to do what you need to in order to collapse those patterns more thoroughly from your bodymind.

5. As you notice what diminishes and drags you down can you also begin to think about how you can consciously make choices that eliminate those situations from your life. That may not be possible in all cases, but you may be able to let go of more than you realize. In the meantime do what you can to build and strengthen your energy so you can change your habitual way of interacting with what is negative for you.

 Everyone knows that when they are in love their basic immunity is enhanced and they seem to be able to handle life with more grace and self-confidence. Research is documenting the why and how of this which is fascinating but there is even better news…we do not have to wait for these experiences to hit us out of the blue. We can create the feelings from within with the choice to let go of negativity and replace it with the feelings that we do want. We have within us the power to create profound change from deep within ourselves with some very simple techniques.

 Emotional Self Mastery

Our emotions are very real energies that move through us. If we do not manage them, they will manage us. They do not disappear if we ignore them…they merely go underground to erode our systems and wreak havoc with our health at a later time. Time only heals if we engage in a process that helps heal within that time. We are human and so hardwired to feel. The point is to have methods that allow us to be in charge and able to transform our emotions so we do not become helpless victims of them.

A very helpful process is to notice when you are focused on a negative feeling. Stop the action in whatever way you can…imagine a huge red stop sign in your head, imagine hitting the pause button on your remote control, say ‘stop’ to yourself. Then use a memory or your imagination to get in touch with feelings of appreciation, gratitude or unconditional love. Feel as though you can breathe those feelings in and out through your heart. Keep doing this until you have shifted your emotional focus. Then see if you can adopt a feeling of ease in maintaining it. Remember this is a skill, so practice is the key.

 Conscious ‘control’ of your breath can help no matter what tools you are using to transform emotional states. Conscious breathing can help you to create new patterns and healthier ways of thinking and feeling.  Breathing deeply and fully begins to put you in touch with deeper levels, your core, your “self,” your inner being.  It strengthens your center of personal power.  It helps to slow you down and makes you aware of what is occurring both within and around you.  It tunes you in to your environment and your internal processes and places you in a position to make conscious choices … choices that support your efforts in life.

 All of these suggestions will help to boost your vitality, help you create more inner ease, feel less stress, and positively affect your energy field by bringing it into a more coherent state. A coherent energy field is associated with greater ability to create, improved health, reduced stress, enhanced ability to concentrate, and greater access to intuitive and spiritual experiences.

Guru Tim has been traveling the globe with Tony Pace and observing the cultural climate in various places in the world regarding stress.

 Listen to hear:

 What are people saying?

How is stress experienced in different cultures?

What are the ways people in other countries cope with ”world stress”?

 MOST IMPORTANTLY, we will be discussing healthy ways that you can move beyond coping, away from suffering and into flourishing despite the external triggers.

Join us live or on the web at 10 A.M., Monday, June 28, 2010 or listen to the download at your leisure.

Join Peg Donahue and Karen Kallie on BlogTalk Radio tomorrow morning as they interview Steve Gamlin, an award-winning speaker, entertainer and author. As a speaker, Steve has been likened to a “Provider of Motivational Firewood.” Steve will be talking about his book: 20 to Life (In a Good Way) and discussing how people can change their lives, starting today!