ANANDA HEALING

Recently, on the way to work, I watched a fantastic short video clip from Shawn Achor about how we seem to strive for happiness, and yet manage to put it just out of reach. I often hear people saying things like, “When I’ve reached the next level [in work, sport, pastimes], then I’ll be happy”, or “If I could just change [fill in the blank], then I’ll be happy” If this sounds like you, or you’ve said this kind of thing in the past, then read on…..

The great thing about the video is that it doesn’t focus on the problem of putting happiness out of reach, it focuses on the solution, how to be happy and in that happiness achieve far more than you have before! It discusses something we, at Ananda Healing, already know. When you are happy your brain releases dopamine, which not only makes you happier, it also activates the learning centres of the brain. Therefore the happier we are, the more productive, creative, resilient we are and we tend to suffer far less from burnout. This is important not only for our personal lives, but also for our business lives, so for those of you with staff members suffering out there this can really help.

What has been advocated is setting aside 2-5 minutes each day for 21 days for positivity, whether that be gratitude, meditation, keeping a journal and others. For those of you that know Amanda and I, we advise so many of our clients to do just that. But, and this is a big but (not a big butt though), do we lead by example or do we just talk the talk? I know that Amanda is a daily meditator, so that’s her covered, but what about me? Do I spend enough time each day looking at the positive? It’s easy to say yes, but how do you know that I’m actually leading by example? Well now is the time to address that!

So, who’s with me?

Firstly, I guess I should tell you what I’m going to do on this journey. I’m starting a new group, The Happiness Revolution, and I will be spending time each day meditating, doing my gratitude and writing a positive letter. Added to that I will be keeping you guys, the ones who choose to follow me on this journey, going with motivation, reminders and sharing my journal. Now, I’m not saying this is going to be easy, I have more time restrictions than most, but let’s face it that’s just an excuse! My priorities for the next 21 days are to meditate, do my gratitude, and write a letter on a daily basis. I will then share that journey with you who chose to accompany me. I’m only going to ask you to do one of these. Chose what you’re going to commit to, and spend just 2-5 minutes each day doing it! It’s as simple as that. Now, I don’t want you to just tell me each day that you’ve done it while you sit around moping about how bad your life is, I want you to commit to your own positive future! This isn’t an exercise for me in being positive, I can do that at any time I chose, it’s an opportunity for you to take a positive, and active role in your own life. I know that if you truly commit to this process, and follow through you will see the benefits within the next 3 weeks!

So what I want from you is to:

Decide

• Yes, I’m going to take a positive, and active role in my life
• No, I’m fine the way I am thank you

If you chose Yes above, then decide

• I’m going to do my gratitude each day for 21 days. I will spend 2 – 5 minutes per day reminding myself of everything I have in my life to be grateful for
• I’m going to write a positive letter. I will spend 2-5 minutes each day writing it and reading it through. The letter can be addressed to anyone and can address any particular issues you’ve been mulling over. If you’ve had an argument with someone, apologise for your part in it. This is a great release if you’ve been holding anger towards someone or something. The letter doesn’t necessarily need to be sent, just written. But, you can send it if you wish.
• I’m going to meditate for 2-5 minutes (at least) each day. I will make sure that I put aside a quiet time for myself with no external distractions and use this time to meditate. If you have difficulty with this option then contact Amanda to discuss your meditation needs

Sign up, at the bottom of the post, with your decision to join, and tell me what your preferred route is; Gratitude, Letter or Meditation.

I will be joining you on this journey, no matter which option you select because I’m going to do all three! I’m also going to be available to you all for help, advice, someone to share your successes with or anything else you feel the need to share (keep it clean though)!

Let’s start the revolution, dare to be different, and be happy!

Join the Happiness Revolution

I’ll speak to all of you that decide to join me tomorrow by email. Don’t worry if you miss the first day, I’m going to make the 21 days rolling for other people to join us. Maybe this can be seen as a pebble in the still water, I’ll be watching the ripples grow, spread and overlap!

I’ve created a Happiness Diary template and a set of instructions to help you get started.