Growing Happiness
Is it possible for us to grow happiness? Reap what you sow, right? I believe it is and I also think I don’t pay enough attention to how much control I have over my own happiness. I do know I am getting better at it. I am getting better for no reason other than learning to pay attention to what is growing inside of me.
“Think of your mind, your emotions, and your spirit as the ultimate garden. The way to ensure a bountiful, nourishing harvest is to plant seeds like love, warmth, and appreciation, instead of seeds like disappointment, anger, and fear.”
Tony Robbin’s
Why would I want a garden full of weeds? Weeds usually thrive under any conditions. If we ignore them they will take over and leave no room for the good stuff. You have to do the work to harvest the emotions that will nourish your soul. Toil and tears will allow you to collect the rewards for your efforts..
“Before the reward, there must be labor. You plant before you harvest. You sow in tears before you reap joy.”
Ralph Ransom
Life can often make it easy to forget that happiness is a choice. We do better at letting our emotional gardens grow wild and out of control. We let in so much of the wrong stuff that we run out of room for our own happiness to grow. Yet, it is possible to cultivate and feed our happiness, allowing it to thrive even under our feet. When we plant the right seeds, our efforts to grow into our best selves become possible.
“Happiness is when what you think, what you say, and what you do are in harmony.”
Mahatma Gandhi
Happiness is out there-honestly, it is everywhere. When we choose to grow our happiness and then continue to feed what we have planted, we can’t help to provide enough for not only ourselves but everyone around us.
“Happiness is not something ready made. It comes from your own actions.”
Dalai Lama
As we head into August, I am reminded of what a perfect time it is to see how much of what we have planted will make it to harvest. Take care to discard the weeds and make room for those things that nourish our hearts, minds, and souls. Creating inside of oursleves the kind of emotional garden we will be proud to share with those who choose to be around us.
“Let us be grateful to the people who make us happy; they are the charming gardeners who make our souls blossom.“
Marcel Proust
Talk soon…
G