When I Choose To Be Happy Reasons And Tools To Be Happy Shows Up

In response to Dancing Elephants prompt 25 of 52: What does happiness mean to you?

Yesterday I set an intention to participate in writing prompts in a couple of Publications and do one new thing.

What is the new thing that I thought of?

I wanted to create a Podcast Episode, write an article, and make a Youtube Short simultaneously.

I just wrote my intention in my SMD(Start My Day) journal along with other intended tasks and walked away.

As you can imagine, there is a desire. However, for some reason, there was no instant drive to open my Laptop and start writing.

I would think of condensing ideas to create a 1-minute Video for Youtube Short, then I would wonder if I should Self-Publish OR integrate it with a Writing Prompt from Publications that I had saved in my List/Library and would not take action.

Today, I got the following Notification

Vidya Sury, Collecting Smiles mentioned you in a story

my eyes caught my favorite topic

What does happiness mean to you?

It is my favorite topic, but I am not sure if I can express it well in words.

First I believe that happiness is a choice that we can make from moment to moment. Instead of thinking too much, I am going to run with the thought-starters. Thank you Vidya Sury, for Collecting Smiles and for making it easy.

Is it a self-care ritual? Share it with us

Absolutely! It is as simple as smiling in the mirror when I wake up and brush my teeth. As suggested and impressed upon by Louise. L Hay ( My favorite author) I look in the mirror and say “I love you Lalitha”. I have graduated from feeling weird on day one to today, honoring the gift of life given by my parents.

Is it the work you do? Write about it

Before I start any work, I pray (or you may call it seek Guidance from the Higher Self Or God) for inspiring me and giving me focused attention, and focused energy. I also ask for giving the ability to be calm and centered. Just by allowing inspiration, focused attention and energy, and calm and centeredness, I enjoy every work I do regardless of whether it is cooking, cleaning, serving, writing, chanting, or craft work. Note that I do not ask or pray that I should accomplish the task and it makes a huge difference because I don’t expect it or keep an attachment.

Is it time with your family? Your friends? Tell us about it

Absolutely. I enjoy spending time with my family and friends. My happiest moments are when I can be my authentic self and allow others the right to be so. While I am very appreciative of any material gifts, the time spent with family members and friends serving each other by way of physical help or having deeper meaningful conversations has made me very happy.

An object you own? Describe it with a photo

An Object I own?? Hmm. It is my Journal. It is like a vitamin tablet that has all the experiences, thoughts and feelings, planning, gratitude, action steps..(you name it).

A memorable experience? Relive it in your post

I don’t think too much about the past. I am not sure whether it is good or bad. If I force myself to remember, I get the feeling of fulfillment, gratitude, achievement, and peace whenever I watch the expansive ocean, Sun-rise whether from my Kitchen Bay window or High-rise building facing the Bay Or in Miami Beach or my recent Sunrise watch in Angkor wat, Cambodia and from High-rise building in Bangkok, Thailand.

A ritual you enjoy? What is it?

I enjoy several rituals such as praying, Meditating, chanting hymns, and doing my Friday Poojas.

A kindness someone showed you? Tell us about it

I have experienced kindness in several ways: To quote some, a stranger allowing me to enter the elevator when it is ready to be full, a driver opposite to me yielding, priests in the temple acknowledging my presence, writers and readers expressing gratitude in the medium, and many more instances. I think if you consciously look for kindness, it will show up.

A mindfulness habit? We want to know

Here is a mindfulness habit that I developed after reading about walking meditation. When I walk in my neighborhood, I say to myself in my mind, the name of each house owner and say

Ms. M, I love you, I thank you and I forgive you and your family. I feel loved, thankful, and forgiven by you and your family. Saying this consistently has helped me feel safe and build meaningful relationships respecting boundaries, even if we don’t talk for several months with my neighbors.

Practicing gratitude? List three things you are grateful for

I love this. I am grateful for the gift of life, the gift of family and friends, and the ability to think, feel and express. ( All intangible!)

What do you do to make yourself happy?

As I said, happiness is a choice. Do your best to change your self-talk when you feel unhappy. Feel the feelings of sadness or jealousy or anger boldly. Say it is OK and normal to feel that way as I am a living human being. Find out how and where the sensations are showing up when you are sad, angry, or jealous. For me, it shows up in the center of my chest. Then speak to the feeling and breath into it deeply a couple of times. Check-in to see whether the sensation is still there. Repeat this step until the sensation is gone and just smile. This way, you have neither bothered creating an irrational story to worry you nor bothered someone else blaming someone else for your sadness, anger, or jealousy.

Finally, I am yet to complete the new thing I thought of, but I am still very happy.

Shout out to Warren "Storyteller" Brown and Sanghita Pal for their following amazing articles:

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