The Three Factors

The three factors that seem to have the greatest influence on increasing our happiness are our ability to reframe our situation more positively, our ability to experience gratitude, and our choice to be kind and generous.
-Dalai Lama

I have gained so much valuable insight from this little Insight from the Dalai Lama calendar that sits beside me as I write. Looking for a quote to start the morning with and voila there one is.  (Of course, I am almost a week behind...lol...my sense of time lately is completely off!)

Let's look at this statement a bit.

The three things most likely to influence our sense of happiness (again happiness is a word I use loosely because it seems like such an "ego" word, doesn't it?  Superficial, almost?  I prefer the words; joy, peace, love, wholeness, wellness. But they are all just words and if the Dalai Lama uses "happiness", it is alright with me.) The three tings are:

• Our ability to reframe our situation more positively:  What does that mean?  Basically it means the more able we are to change the way we see and perceive our experiences the happier we will be.  We need to first understand that our life situations are not Life...they are just things happening around us or to this idea we have of who we are.  They are not the vital life force that is within us. Then we have to realize that what we perceive is usually influenced by ego-mind and therefore dramatized, made into story, negative, repeated again and again, mostly to keep us away from the truth of who we are so ego can maintain a sense of identity.  It is illusion, trivial, unimportant.  Then we examine that thinking and remove fiction from truth so we can see clearly.  We can reframe our thoughts into a more positive version (cognitive restructuring)  until we can get beyond thought.  Our goal...if there is such thing as goals...is to get beyond thought so that we perceive not only more positively but more clearly.
• Our ability to experience gratitude: This is essential...we need to be grateful for whatever is showing up in our lives now and what will show up in our lives in the so called future.  We need to appreciate Life in what ever way it shows up.  Appreciation is a step beyond accepting.
• Our choice to be kind and generous:  Life is all about  flow...a flow of giving and a flow of receiving.  What we receive...we give; what we give...we receive. There is nothing sweeter to the heart than giving.  When we give we are open and the love within us has a means to pour through us and pour out of us.  That is what it is all about. It's a choice that will free us, ultimately leading to joy.

Thanks Dalai Lama...

All is well in my world