Written by Phillip Rosenbaum
You may have heard the phrase “happiness is an inside job.” But what exactly does that mean? It means that we are responsible for our own happiness. If we are unhappy, we often think someone or something else is the cause of our unhappiness but is this the case?
Years ago, in an interview with Truman Capote, novelist, screenwriter, and actor, he talked about meeting the “most boring” person he had ever met. He could not stand having a conversation with this person. Finally, he thought to himself, “What makes this person so boring?” He then focused on answering his question rather than continuing to be bored. He turned an unpleasant situation into a much more interesting experience. We all have this ability. Wayne Dyer, who was a motivational speaker and psychologist, stated that you could choose to make any experience enjoyable and challenging. He also said that you could learn to talk to yourself in new ways.
Another interesting example is about a man who was living in a religious community. He had a job lugging a huge hose around to water the grounds. The man couldn’t stand this particular job. Finally, he said to himself, “Well, if I have to do this job, I might as well make the best of it.” This attitude made him feel much better about doing the job.
Do you find yourself upset when you are stuck in traffic? Some people choose to listen to audiobooks while they are driving and do not get all riled up if they are in a traffic jam. Do you get very upset if another driver cuts in front of you? One might consider that this person may have an emergency and needs to get somewhere very quickly. This type of thinking would certainly make you feel better.
In his book Journey to Self-Realization, Paramahansa Yogananda relates that he used to get angry at injustices in his childhood. He realized that his anger was not helping anything and was certainly not changing the world. He vowed, “I will never be angry again.” Since then, he never allowed anger to interfere with his inner peace.
In that same book, the author states that bad habits can cause all kinds of problems. He goes on to say that you do not have to be bound by the habit. To get rid of the negative habit, affirm, “I can change. I will change.” And hold on to that thought throughout the day. By doing so, you will be able to eliminate the negative habit.
A very wise person once remarked, “it takes as much energy to think a positive thought as it does to think a negative thought. Since having positive thoughts make you feel better, why not choose a positive thought rather than a negative one?
While it is true that we are responsible for our own happiness, sometimes it is very difficult to identify what the problem is or where it is coming from. For example, you may be looking for a better job and find you are sabotaging your chances of getting one. You have no idea why this is happening, but it continues to plague you. Or, you may be trying to lose weight, but no matter what you do, you find it practically impossible to lose the weight or to keep it off. If using the above suggestions does not yield positive results, it may be that the cause of the problem is rooted in the subconscious mind, and because it is subconscious, you are not aware of it. For example, you may have a subconscious belief that you don’t really deserve a good job, and if that is the case, your subconscious will make sure you don’t get one. In situations like these, you may need outside help to remedy the situation. This is where hypnotherapy can be extremely useful. A certified hypnotherapist can help you identify what subconscious beliefs are controlling your life and then help you eliminate them and replace them with much healthier messages. Hypnosis does work, and there are thousands of peer-reviewed studies that attest to this fact. In addition, it is safe, and you are always in control. Contrary to many myths, you will never do anything that goes against your values or moral beliefs.
If you want to learn more about hypnosis, please call Phillip Rosenbaum at 248-688-6469. Why not make the decision to be happy? Then take the appropriate steps to bring it about.
