Ten
Keys to Happiness
Deepak
Chopra
Physical
well being is inseparable from emotional well being.
Happy people are healthy people. The wisdom traditions
of the world tell us that happiness does not depend on
what you have, but on who you are. As we begin the new
year, it may be worthwhile to reflect on what really
creates happiness in us. The following ten keys, gleaned
from the wisdom traditions, may give us some
insight.
1.
Listen to your body’s wisdom, which expresses itself
through signals of comfort and discomfort. When choosing
a certain behavior, ask your body, “How do you feel
about this?” If your body sends a signal of physical or
emotional distress, watch out. If your body sends a
signal of comfort and eagerness, proceed.
2. Live
in the present, for it is the only moment you have. Keep
your attention on what is here and now; look for the
fullness in every moment. Accept what comes to you
totally and completely so that you can appreciate it,
learn from it, and then let it go. The present is as it
should be. It reflects infinite laws of Nature that have
brought you this exact thought, this exact physical
response. This moment is as it is because the universe
is as it is. Don’t struggle against the infinite scheme
of things; instead, be at one with it.
3. Take
time to be silent, to meditate, to quiet the internal
dialogue. In moments of silence, realize that you are
recontacting your source of pure awareness. Pay
attention to your inner life so that you can be guided
by intuition rather than externally imposed
interpretations of what is or isn’t good for
you.
4.
Relinquish your need for external approval. You alone
are the judge of your worth, and your goal is to
discover infinite worth in yourself, no matter what
anyone else thinks. There is great freedom in this
realization.
5.
When you find yourself reacting with anger or opposition
to any person or circumstance, realize that you are only
struggling with yourself. Putting up resistance is the
response of defenses created by old hurts. When you
relinquish this anger, you will be healing yourself and
cooperating with the flow of the
universe.
6.
Know that the world “out there” reflects your reality
“in here.” The people you react to most strongly,
whether with love or hate, are projections of your inner
world. What you most hate is what you most deny in
yourself. What you most love is what you most wish for
in yourself. Use the mirror of relationships to guide
your evolution. The goal is total self-knowledge. When
you achieve that, what you most want will automatically
be there, and what you most dislike will
disappear.
7.
Shed the burden of judgment – you will feel much
lighter. Judgment imposes right and wrong on situations
that just are. Everything can be understood and
forgiven, but when you judge, you cut off understanding
and shut down the process of learning to love. In
judging others, you reflect your lack of
self-acceptance. Remember that every person you forgive
adds to your self-love.
8.
Don’t contaminate your body with toxins, either through
food, drink, or toxic emotions. Your body is more than a
life-support system. It is the vehicle that will carry
you on the journey of your evolution. The health of
every cell directly contributes to your state of well
being, because every cell is a point of awareness within
the field of awareness that is you.
9.
Replace fear-motivated behavior with love-motivated
behavior. Fear is the product of memory, which dwells in
the past. Remembering what hurt us before, we direct our
energies toward making certain that an old hurt will not
repeat itself. But trying to impose the past on the
present will never wipe out the threat of being hurt.
That happens only when you find the security of your own
being, which is love. Motivated by the truth inside you,
you can face any threat because your inner strength is
invulnerable to fear.
10.
Understand that the physical world is just a mirror of a
deeper intelligence. Intelligence is the invisible
organizer of all matter and energy, and since a portion
of this intelligence resides in you, you share in the
organizing power of the cosmos. Because you are
inseparably linked to everything, you cannot afford to
foul the planet’s air and water. But at a deeper level,
you cannot afford to live with a toxic mind, because
every thought makes an impression on the whole field of
intelligence. Living in balance and purity is the
highest good for you and the Earth.