Find a Blissful Moment Every Day
What is bliss? The dictionary has two definitions for bliss. The first is: perfect happiness; great joy. The second is: something providing such happiness.
First of all, happiness starts from within, but a few simple things, done every day, do help. Blissful moments are different for everyone. Here are mine:
1. My morning cup of coffee. The moment I wake up, I look forward to my cup of coffee. Why? It is such a simple thing: hot liquid in a cup. To me, it is so much more. My senses awaken every time I hold a cup of coffee. The cup warms my hands which are always cold (even in the summer). The warm liquid is smooth, creamy and delicious. The smell of fresh brewed coffee reminds me to be thankful for being alive and to cherish these simple moments. I close my eyes and I am in the “now.” I focus on all the happy sensations this one simple beverage does for me. Then all of a sudden, the cobwebs evaporate from my foggy brain and I am able to start my day as a happy, content and grateful human being.
2. Meditation. I must meditate daily. My mind takes me on a turbulent ride and if I don’t sometimes get off, just like in Thelma and Louise, my “car” will drop off a cliff. I keep saying there is something wrong with my brain, but I am told otherwise. Perhaps other people feel the same as I do… it is nice to know that I am not alone. Meditating slows down that ride to a nice Sunday jaunt. I meditate in the morning with the aid of an app downloaded to my tablet. It is time specific and a beautiful ringing bell sounds as the meditation counts down. I close my eyes and my thoughts race, but every time I hear the bells I return to the moment quickly and easily. I have found that meditation has made me feel happier. I am able to handle the stressful moments in my day easier. I also look at people differently because I am not judging them or criticizing them if they take their anger out on me. I just remember that they are having a bad day and try not to take it personally. Meditating calms my mind so that I can let go of external conflicts and put my mind at ease.
3. Driving home from work. This is the time I take to relax and prepare to finish my day on a good note. If you don’t like your commute, find something that you enjoy doing that you can incorporate into your drive or train ride. Listen to the radio and focus on how the songs make you feel. Listen to a motivational CD and focus on improving yourself. If you are taking the train, read a good book, take a nap or make conversation with the person next to you. Everybody has a great life story to tell. If you are constantly stuck in traffic, or the train is late, take those moments to focus on the “now” and enjoy “being.” Don’t focus on the negative. Try turning this moment into something positive: a time to meditate and focus on your breath. Learn to enjoy the moment instead of indulging the negative emotions building up inside of you. Once you arrive at your destination you will no longer feel agitated or angry, but more focused and able to get on with your day in a positive mood. If you are arriving home after work, you will be able to greet your family in a happy mood.
4. Brushing my teeth and washing my face before going to bed. That simple everyday activity is both calming and soothing. As the electric toothbrush whirls, I focus on the positive aspects of my day and let go of the experiences that weren’t so great. I focus on the day’s events that I am grateful for and cherish those moments. When I am done brushing my teeth, my mouth feels fresh and clean. Next I wash my face. The suds erase all the impurities. My face feels tingly and I am left with a clean slate. I am ready to do it all over again the next day.
Your blissful moments could be different from mine. Perhaps when you come home, you get to greet the pet you’ve missed terribly all day. Other blissful moments could include: cooking a great meal, working out, talking to some friends on the phone, or doing yoga to alleviate some stress. Pick your blissful moments and make them count each and every day.
This is what life is about. Simple, blissful moments.
About the Author
5 Ways to Let Go of Negative Beliefs
Any of the thoughts you think that make you feel low or ‘less than’ are lies. Don’t believe them!
Most of what holds us back from living how we truly want is believing the lies of our unconscious self. These lies can include thoughts like, “I’m not good enough, I don’t know how, I am not smart enough, nobody will like or accept me…” These lies are often planted like seeds early on in life, whether it be from a traumatic experience (life is painful), a bully at school (I’m not worthy), an abusive parent (I’m unlovable), teachers or authority figures (I have no power), and many other ways.
Here’s the thing: If you are feeling low, down on yourself, in the fog, or like there is something wrong with you, then you have accepted a lie as truth. It is up to you to actually go within, tear the lie up by its roots, accept fully where you’re at and choose what you really want to believe about yourself and life. Truth be told, life is ultimately good. People are too. However, these deep-rooted lies we take on cloud our perception and cause us to do less than awesome stuff to ourselves, the earth, each other, and with our lives.
We get a choice in the matter though. We don’t have to believe everything we think. But how can we know what story is playing out if we never take the time to listen? This is where meditation and presence practices come in. We must take 100% responsibility for ourselves and get off autopilot.
If you’re ready to feel empowered and confident, then it’s time to take your power back from the beliefs that have taken power over you. How? Start looking for and finding the goodness within yourself, the goodness within humanity and the goodness within life. It might seem difficult at first because of your clouded perception, but the more good you find, the more your old belief systems about life and yourself will begin to fall away.
5 Ways to Let Go of Negative Beliefs and Feel Lighter Now
Gratitude: Giving thanks for every little thing is a powerful way to lift the veil of despair and open up to how abundantly blessed you truly are. It might take some searching at first, but once you find a few things to be grateful for the momentum will build. Count the Blessings: Say to yourself everyday, “I am committed to experiencing the goodness of life” and then as you go about your day, take note of every kind act and every little miracle. Write them down. What you focus on is magnified, so by focusing on the goodness of life, you will begin to witness just how beautiful life really is. Affirmations: Ultimately, it’s up to you to choose what you want to believe about yourself. If you have felt unlovable up until now and you want to know what it feels like to be 100% loveable (which you are) then it is up to you to start affirming that new state for yourself. Looking in the mirror at yourself for five minutes everyday and stating, “I am loveable, I accept myself” is a powerful exercise that I’ve done for years! New Habits: So because you’ve been believing some lies about yourself, chances are you have created some unhealthy habits to match the frequency of lies you’ve been accepting. Now that you’re starting to get clear on the state of being you’re choosing to affirm for yourself and your life, begin to add awesome new habits and practices to your life. It can be simple little changes like ten minutes of silence or meditation, drinking an extra two glasses of water per day, going for a walk around the block, reading something inspiring instead of watching TV or basically any of the other passions you have that you’ve been pushing away. Release the Voice of Pain: It’s okay to feel grief, sadness, anger or anything else like that. It’s okay to be pissed at the injustice of your past. Something that has helped me heal all the unheard voices of my inner child is to write in my journal from my voice of pain. Writing letters to the people who have caused you harm or to yourself for causing you harm is a great practice. You can also write to yourself and affirm your beauty, your greatness and the love that you are. Little love notes to yourself everyday will go a long way. Journaling is a powerful practice. Any art that allows that voice of pain to be acknowledged and transmuted will bring so much lightness to your life.
It’s all the little things we do that add up to the big things in life. Take time to be with yourself every day because truly your inner power comes from being present, connected and grounded within.
