Happiness: Positive psychology
What is happiness?
How to consistently and consciously attain it.
How to align with our inner self and become happier beings.
How being happy can reduce stress and improve health.
Since our thoughts are the cause of our suffering, they are also the cause of our joy.
Relevant points of the presentation.
“The widespread thought is that happiness is not regarded as something that we choose, intend, or attain in any permanent way. It is always thought of as the product of life acting upon us. The unstated assumption is that we are happy as a result of haphazard manifestations we considered favorable –due to good fortune, or thanks to the blessings of a religious God.”
“This understanding of happiness is not unique to any particular culture or situation. It is not hard to imagine that a simple survey of any cross-section of any population in any country will produce a high percentage of people who might say they are happy. But they do not know what happiness is; they do not consistently practice it; cannot consciously become it; and cannot teach it to others.”
“Nonetheless, happiness remains the ultimate goal. Aristotle called happiness the ‘highest of all goods.’ He said, ‘Happiness, therefore, being found to be something final and self-sufficient, is the end at which all actions aim.’”
Without a doubt, happiness is the most important of the most important things in life!
Being present in the moment:
living in the present moment or being present in the moment we are living is a quick way to be happy. Even when we find ourselves thinking thoughts that make us feel bad, if we hold on to the present moment, the pain is quickly forgotten, because within a few seconds the cause of our pain is in the past.
Meditation:
Any kind of legitimate meditation is another sure way to get to the now. Being in the moment is characterized by a feeling of timelessness, presence, attention, peace, energy, intent, and happiness: the same attributes of meditation.
Doing what we really, really, want to do:
One sure way to attain happiness is doing what we really, really, want to do. Most people are unhappy because they do not know what they rally want to do.
Unconditional giving:
Unconditional giving, together with kindness and compassion, is a catalyst for real happiness.
Being Truthful:
Being truthful to yourself is a quick way to become happy. Most people’s dissatisfaction comes from lack of self-love and this is only due to lack of self-truth.
Appreciation:
By far the fastest way to get to happiness is appreciation. When we look in the latest research at what inspires happiness, we see that what makes people happy are generally three things: meaning and purpose in life; appreciation for others; and a positive attitude.
Important points
Happiness is a choice:
This is only possible because first the physical mind cannot think of two things at once. You can’t think or feel happy and sad at the same time. And second, because the brain does not know the difference between what it imagines and what is real.
Happiness depends on us Individually:
The main problem with attaining happiness is that we expect others to make us happy. We are conditioned to believe that if all is well we are well. That if we have the external things we desire, we are happy.
Happiness and Health:
We now know, for example that there is a link between happiness and health. That there is plenty of scientific data detailing how negative thinking harms the body. How sustained stressful and fearful thoughts can affect the body in a way that eventually leads to illnesses, such as heart disease, stroke, diabetes, and cancer. Even more so, on the other side, we know that happiness contributes to our healing.
Being Happy:
Happiness is not about study and learning, it is all about choice and intent. Like the other items in the list, happiness is best felt. It is not logical. it is intuitive, like all the art forms, music, poetry, and painting.
The effect of Happiness on your life:
Being happy will change your life.
We all know that everything in the world is made of energy. In fact scientist tell us that energy and mass are the same thing. Whether you are seeing it, touching it, smelling it, or hearing it, everything is just energy. Since everything is energy, it is in a constant state of vibration. But there are different states of vibrations. In music, for example, some sounds are higher than others. The higher ones vibrate faster, the lower ones slower.
What does this have to do with happiness? Happiness, together with all the other positive feelings, is a higher vibration (frequency) than the negative feelings.
NOTE: The presentations may include, PowerPoint, Blackboard or other common paraphernalia used in such occasions.