8 Secrets to Happiness

As we become older, we understand how to do the things we need to survive, however there is a much more subtle area we must learn to navigate which I call the last frontier. This is the mind. To be honest, we are up against some long standing cultural behavioral patterns that do not give us the ability to direct the mind, hence House of Intuition is a place to help you do just that. Often when you get a reading, you are guided to a new perspective that ‘lifts the weight’ off of you and helps you see things in a new way. When we practice directing the mind and are aware of how it dictates our actions, reactions and experiences, we realize that cultivating a positive and neutral mind is quite possible the most important and empowering part of our journey of life. We can’t even help others when our own mind is bombarding us with negativity. Here are some ways you can use your mind to your benefit.

Commit - First you will need to commit to thinking positive and training yourself to direct the mind. This means that you must start to actively notice and direct your thinking. Without the commitment to change your thinking, it will not last. It has to be like a marriage where you vow to make this work even when things get tough. This means you will work on not thinking negatively about yourself and others and you will choose positive words when you speak. The commitment ultimately is to retrain your brain and this can be with the tools of meditation, books on tape, regular books and classes. Think about how much weight people put on their relationships, it’s a major focal point in their psyche and a big goal in their lives. Make it a major priority to learn how to think better. In the most practical sense, you will be using the power of words to retrain the synapse firing in your brain to create new habitual thought patterns and break the ones you are used to. These are subtle and need to be investigated in quiet journaling and meditation because we often are so used to thinking in victim mentality, anxiety mode or worst case scenario that we are completely unaware of it, not to mention many people around us are also practicing this unconscious thinking.

Persist - You will have moments of relapse where you react or someone gets under your skin. You will lose your cool or feel anxious. While you’re working on retraining your brain to think positive, you don’t need to beat yourself up when you fall back into an old pattern. Let it go and keep building that momentum of intentional communication to yourself about yourself and to others. Don’t read one book or take one class and check off the ‘retrain brain to think positive box’ this is a daily and lifelong learning process, again it’s the last frontier and it’s not in our external reality but within the deepest recesses of our mind as well as in the environment which influences us. Don’t ever feel like you’re done working on yourself or you will fall right back into your old patterns.

Contain - Learn how to control your reactions. Take a breath and let yourself calm down before responding too quickly. Allow yourself to not be attacked by your own anger which is a double edged sword. Contain your words about and to others and most importantly contain your thoughts. Don’t let your thoughts about others be negative and don’t let your mind just parade down any random road. This means protect your thoughts from negative conversations and media. If you’re watching horror films a lot, you are directly programming your subconscious with those thoughts. Imagine a container around your body that only positive energy is allowed in and no doubt or fear can penetrate.

Respond - The way we choose to respond is our ‘responsibility’ or our ability to respond. If you interlock with someone who is complaining or gossiping, you will feel the energy shift. If you turn conversations positive, look for the silver lining and have an intention to share love and uplift people, your responses will build happiness instead of detract from it. That means don’t look to defend yourself but have an intention to listen and understand. Think about the other person when you are communicating and respond in a tone that will make them feel safe and supported.

Intend - Practice having an intention. Before you go into work or walk in the door at home, get clear with your intention. This will keep you from being bombarded by whatever energy someone else is caught up in. This will also help you direct your thoughts, words and energy to build positive energy instead of just random words. Speak only what is kind, necessary and true. Let’s take this deeper, what is your intention in your life? Why do you do what you do? How do you contribute positively to the betterment of life on this planet? This is where the true source of happiness is and when you are clear in your mind about your intention, no one can take your happiness from you.

Trust - Don’t live in fear of what could go wrong or you will never be willing to change your life. Trust that your intuition is guiding you and move from the inside out. If you feel you’re supposed to follow a path, it’s coming from somewhere. Staying in a place of trust that things are happening just as they should also helps you accept and surrender to challenges. You will more easily see why things happen instead of experiencing the pain of resistance to those things. Trust that you are supported by the universe and you will let go of the vibration of fear that attracts repetitive negative experiences.

Uplift - Elevate the vibes wherever you go. Be the positive beacon of light and smiles that brings people up. Er on the side of optimism and you will bring the energy up wherever you go. Look at is as your job to bring up the vibes instead of trying to get energy from other people and rely on them for your mental state. This can be as simple as saying, “I’m doing spectacular!” when someone asks you how you are doing. Many people answer on autopilot or say they are tired which only drags down the energy. The more you insert positive words into your communication, the stronger energy you will bring to your environment that comes back to you like a mirror.

Breathe - Because the very core essence of the universe is love, the answers to happiness are not a complex maze but very simple. Just stop, slow down, take some deep breaths and calm your nerves on a regular basis. Focus on the breathe and when you’re drained do breathwork that charges your nerves. The breath is your secret source of power. It will connect your energy with the higher vibrations. Breath is a part of martial arts and ancient movement practices because it brings in energy into your nervous system that can be directed. It also moves other energy out of your field.