How Do You Choose Happiness?

While I take some time off to enjoy the end of summer as well as to work on a new project, for the next two weeks I will be re-posting some “old” blog posts. We have many new readers who perhaps have not seen them and to those who have I hope you find renewed energy in re-reading!

Happiness is a state of being that arises from within in response to how we are experiencing the present moment. The lower mind, the province of our habitual mental and emotional states need to be trained to choose happiness. We can cultivate the energy of happiness through our choices of how and what to focus on€¦we can choose to make it a daily practice to engage in activities that build and support feeling happy. In short, we can make happiness a habit! Rather than making this an exercise in willpower we need to look at what can help us build our inner neural circuitry to make the power of choice into an easy and enjoyable experience.

Neuroscience is finding that the brain has default states that it lapses into. Negative mind states are easily triggered in everybody….these states generally have to do with self judgment, comparing oneself lacking vis a vis others, fear, criticism of self and other…you catch the drift!! More importantly, it is also being demonstrated by neuroscience that when one has a mindful meditation practice then shifting to positive mental state and lighting up the brain’s happiness circuits becomes easier. People who are depressed or chronically anxious have a much harder time (if not impossible without help) making the choice to shift.

A meditation practice helps re-wire the brain so we can be happy not only when we are sitting, it also helps to provide us with the capacity to bring more mindfulness and thus happiness to our daily lives.