Happy New Year!!!!
Hello 2013!!! Now I realize that some of you may still be struggling to get functioning again after celebrating to the last wee hours of 2012, but in true New Year’s resolution fashion I’m on a 21 day mission to bring me back to ME. 🙂 Some around me (you) may laugh at this notion because let’s face it, we’re generally a selfish nation, but what this journey is about is more about centering ourselves on what truly matters, vs. what we think matters to those around us, thus getting us closer to the New Year New You notion.
In the next 21 days, I hope to share a lot of the knowledge I’ve gained recently from reading Deepak Chopra’s The Ultimate Happiness Prescription (which I’m almost done reading) and taking part in the (Deepak) Chopra Center 21-Day Meditation Challenge™, which I found out about while watching Oprah on OWN.
One of the main things that The Ultimate Happiness Prescription points out is that 50% of happiness comes from the things we choose to do everyday…things we choose. That information stopped me in my tracks. So you mean to tell me when I’m unhappy, at least half of the reason why I’m unhappy is because of me? Well, that did it, now I definitely needed to find out what inside of me chooses to be halfly responsible for any unhappy moments in my life. To begin, I reviewed the 5 main causes, listed in the book, linked to unhappiness and suffering, which stem from:
- Not knowing your true identity
- Clinging to the idea of permanence in a world that is inherently impermanent
- Fear of change
- Identifying with the socially induced hallucination called ego
- Fear of death
The book went on to point out that it’s not all based on personal pleasure (i.e. drinking ourselves silly during celebrations ;), eating a great meal, having great sex, etc) which Deepak says only brings temporary happiness followed by a rapid fall off. He states that once you experience who you really are and find the place where your true self resides, then the secret of happiness will unfold.
Sounds simple enough, but I’ve been trying to make strides toward getting to know where my true self resides for a while now, and while I think I’m at least in the neighborhood, I know I’m not even close to making it into the backyard yet. 😉 As #2 on the list above indicates however, I don’t believe that getting to know our true selves is something that remains the same through out the different facets of our lives, so I think that this is something that we’ll need to do, on a daily basis, which is where what I learned from the Chopra Center 21-Day Meditation Challenge™, will come in handy.
This is why I thought that it would be great to begin 2013 by revisiting the Chopra Center 21-Day Meditation Challenge™. Day 1 begins with accepting and realizing the Reality of Abundance by allowing ourselves time (which we have a lot of since we choose how to spend it ;)) to sit quietly with ourselves meditating, praying, thinking (choose the option that best fits your lifestyle) and tell ourselves that today we will allow ourselves to behold all the abundance that surrounds us i.e.
“Today, I behold all the abundance that surrounds me.”
Again, seems simple enough, but I find that I have to constantly remind myself to see all the abundance that surrounds me because I’m generally preoccupied with Life – work, working out, my home, pets, friends, family, fill in the blank. By continuing my journey, I hope to be able to slow down enough and reprioritize to the point where I am always aware of my surroundings and all the blessings in my life. Cheers to that. 🙂
What New Year’s resolution have you set for yourself? Do you believe in finding a new you?
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