Living Energy Blog

Happiness is the absence of the striving for happiness. — Chuang Tzu

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)

Energy. It’s everywhere. Inside. Outside. All around and ever-expanding. Karen Kallie, Tony Pace and I call our work together Living Energy because it is alive, connected and always changing.

One of the aspects of energy that fascinates me is how our individual and collective energy patterns are mirrored in our space and visa versa. Have you ever noticed a pattern between your computer or technical devices and personal energy?  I have. When my energy is not running smoothly, my computer displays similar patterns and visa versa.

When it takes me longer than usual to do something, I know it is time to shift my energy, attention and focus: take a break, go for a walk, do some yoga, meditate, garden, write a note, cook a meal, call a friend, etc.  When I return, the process usually goes much more smoothly and takes far less time. Since this is a type of energy I want to expand every day, it’s worthwhile for me to tune in and notice what is happening. If I continued on the same path, I would be expanding the energy of blockage, frustration, jams and more.

The next time you realize that you are pushing against something, take a break. As Esther and Jerry Hicks might say, drop your oars, allow your boat to turn around and float downstream. Shifting your focus changes your energy and enables a new pattern to take root. Going with the flow that comes naturally to each of us, through our hearts and intuition, is far easier than moving against the current. It also feels much better.

Today’s Daily Om inspirational essay about conscious decisions coincides nicely with the thought I’d like to share today: taking personal responsibility for yourself leads to an empowered and authentic life. This in turn supports better physical, mental and emotional health, resulting  in overall well-being and happiness. When we make conscious decisions we actively sort through our options, choosing the ones that feel right at the time. We actively choose our response vs. defaulting to decisions unconsciously. We choose what to do because it feels right vs. merely doing what we are told, even if it is not the popular or recommended approach. Acting by default is taking the easy route and doing whatever someone else says. Acting by default is a lazy approach.

Recently I met with a dermatologist. This individual made two recommendations that did not suit me. The first was to use a sunscreen that I know ranks high on the EWG’s “hazard scale” for sunscreens. The second was to use a petroleum based product with methylparaben to moisturize dry skin. When we discussed the sunscreen and alternative choices, it occurred to me that this professional was simply unaware of better choices for your skin. She was recommending products that block the sun but may also contribute to skin cancer. I wrote down the name of the second product, looked it over at the pharmacy and later researched the ingredients on my own. Although I didn’t remember why, paraben-based products were a flag in my mind. A quick Google search provided the answer: concentration of parabens, particularly methylparaben have been found in breast tumors. So here we have an educated professional recommending products that may contribute to more problems than the ones I was trying to solve. My guess is that this is a common occurrence. How often do we defer to others’ because we think they know better or they must be right (including me!)?

Rather than be angry about this professional’s lack of knowledge in this area, this experience reinforced my resolve to be personally responsible for my choices. This professional provided her best recommendation. In my opinion her recommendation fell short of being more fully informed. That part is up to me and up to each one of us.

As you go through each day, become more aware of your decisions. Pay attention to the ones that you consciously make vs. the times you just do what others say. Responding by default may seem like the easier and less overwhelming choice at the time. If it leads to you feeling disempowered or blaming others for any part of your choice then it’s really about delaying the inevitable: being responsible for your own choices, actions, thoughts and words.

The healthcare system is just one example. Each of our lives is filled with many more, particularly within our work, family and social environments. Play with these thoughts and try them out. How do they apply to your life? What changes can you make to live a more empowered and authentic life?

Related articles

• Study Shows Bisphenol-A and Methylparaben Have a Triggering Effect on Cancer (guide.thesoftlanding.com)
• A Review of the Five Best Sunscreens that are Safe for Both You & Your Child (savings.com)

Take a time out when your energy is tangled or knotted!

Do you ever feel like your wires get crossed, knotted or all tangled up?  This happens to me periodically, particularly with technology. Yesterday I spent three times the length of time it took me to write a communication to rectify a technical snag in the program. The longer I spent trying to fix the problem, the more constricted my energy became. I knew what was happening, yet I continued down the path. I felt that if I just tried a little harder I just might “get it.” I took a break for a few hours while I went for a walk and prepared dinner before approaching it again in the evening. I made progress, which brought some relief, but there was still one piece evading me. By the time I was ready to call for help, online support was closed for the evening. I tried again … using a few different approaches. Still no luck. Late into the night I acknowledged that I would set the problem aside, get a good night’s sleep, and contact the Help Desk in the morning. I’m glad I did. The problem was fixed within half an hour.

As I was going through this process I realized that my experience was a replica of what many of us do each day. When we have a problem, we push and push, trying harder and harder. We might make some progress but often not enough to resolve it completely. As we get deeper and deeper into the issue, our energy gets all tangled up. Once it is knotted up inside it gets harder to extract ourselves and seek a different route. We experience blockages at many levels … mental confusion and frustration, physical tightness of breath and body, emotionally we may feel anxious, be short with oneself or those we encounter.  The more wrapped up or emotionally invested we are in the issue, the harder it is to solve.

There is an art to gently untangling knotted energy. The solution is to step away from the situation, create some space and allow options to present themselves. Anything that brings relief will ease such situations, open the door and allow options to present themselves. A walk usually helps me. I often get a lot of ideas and answers as I walk. Yesterday this was not the case. A good night’s sleep is next on my list. This is what helped me. I went to sleep knowing that I would get a resolution to my problem in the morning. After I finally set it aside, I knew getting the right help would take far less time than I had already invested. And that is exactly what happened.

The next time you realize that your energy is tangled, step away from the situation and create space. Withdraw your attention from the problem and change your pace. Breathe. Go for a walk. Meditate. Play. Watch a movie. Read a book. Spend time with family or friends. Do something creative. Sleep. Return with a fresh perspective and re-charged energy. Take a new approach. It will make a difference.

Related articles

• Untangled (chrisbrogan.com)
• An Untangled Moment (karmalifereadings.wordpress.com)

A great take-away message from Carolyn Myss re: not only how to heal but also for how we all can bring more good into our lives:

http://www.thebalancingact.com/story/?id=2075