renewal creating good habits

I need to put to practice the applications of happiness into my life in order for Zen to blanket me. There are specific elements that when absent from my life, there also happiness is absent. These absent elements are the very ingredients essential to greater happiness and Zen and I need to put them into practice or my goals will not be achieved.

I am tired of these seasons of my life where I believe the voice that tells me I cannot be at peace in this moment unless this changes or that happens etc… Life isn’t going to change unless I change. I declare this my journey; this is the gun shot that catapults the race. I am off and running for my dear life.

First thing first; I have always let others define the path for me, but I’m ready see for myself what this is all about. Society spoon feeds us lies from day one, false ideas, deformed theology, self-image and the ideal this or that. If it’s not society, media or false prophets it’s our parents and family laying out expectations for us. Well I want to know for me, for my taste, for my style and preference, for my heart and my design: what the definitions are. Define happiness for me, define Zen, and define joy. I believe as I discover my identity, all lies will slowly fall off like leaches hanging on to suck you dry. To start, I am going to create my ingredient list of happiness.

Energy is number one for me. We all know we get more done, feel better and are more likely to stop and help someone or take an extra moment for patience when we feel rested. For me it goes beyond this. For the definition of energy includes spiritual fuel as well as shut eye fuel. I believe you get energy when you give energy.

Spirituality is the glue the purpose and the way for all that matters. Discovering my faith and spiritual gifts is momentous is defining happiness in my life. When your faith is the foundation for all that you do, you recognize that there is a higher power than you, that designed you and has a purpose for you, most importantly loves you beyond imaginable. All things that seemed so crucial are now trivial because your focus is on your eternal destination and a purpose beyond yourself. I want to grow spirituality in my life, in this area I will set in place practices and strength training for my spirit to flourish.

Organization and a plan. After being married almost ten months now I have been forced to learn many things about myself, one including I need order and structure in order to function at my highest potential. If in this area our personality relates, than you know the feeling of wanting to pull your hair out when the file cabinet isn’t organized, the dishes aren’t clean, or there is nothing to grab from the fridge for lunch on the way out the door. I need structure to feel secure, to feel at ease and comfortable. This doesn’t mean I am not spontaneous or easy going when plans pop up last minute, this just means I know I need certain foundations for stability.

Play time adds a quality to life that is irreplaceable. When you play, a hormone called serotonin is released, which by definition contributes to feelings of well-being and happiness. When too many days go by where I don’t play enough, meaning feed into my hobbies or partake in letting lose, I feel stressed and overwhelmed with all of life’s responsibilities. It’s important to stop daily to take a deep breath and make whatever you are doing fun, otherwise are we going to look back at our life and feel it was too boring and overworked?

Work and money are the balance for play. These are the necessary components in our daily life, to maintain a family, survive and a few other important details I need not mention. Work gives you a sense of purpose and belonging. For me I feel I contribute to something important when I love my job. This area of my life is sensitive right now because it is in transition and I am waiting to see what doors God opens for me. It is important for me to love what I do so this category is crucial to my ingredients.

Attitude and mindfulness are weak in my life, let’s just be honest here. I don’t put enough grit into carrying a good attitude and being mindful no matter where I am. I may have a great attitude at work because I have to, but when I get home my husband gets the grunt of all that I have held in through the day. When you keep a good attitude and smile on your face or even if it’s just the attitude in your thoughts, it contagiously works its way into all that you come in contact with, therefore bringing more of whatever energy you put out. I see this when I am more thankful in my prayers and content with whatever the situation is, God blesses these areas. If I ignore the intentions in my attitude then I am ignoring the power of our spirit and influence it carries. Being aware of my attitude and realizing that it is everything if I want happiness fruitfully in my life gives me a motivation to change it.

I will be writing on each topic separately in the following posts to come. I just want to encourage whoever is reading to meditate on these ideas and be open to hearing a word of truth enter you. Be open to discovering what it is that makes the recipe to your happiness. Take deep breathes and shed whatever heaviness you don’t need. Find somewhere you can escape and be in the true beauty of life where your soul can breathe and your mind isn’t distracted. Where do you create Zen in your life?

This week I am asking God to provide opportunities to see miracles and recognize them, I want to experience him big time. I want to be filled with energy no matter what the task so that I feel my purpose in all that I come against is fulfilled.

James 1:19 My dear brothers and sisters, take note of this: Everyone should be quick to listen, slow to speak and slow to become angry, ²⁰ because human anger does not produce the righteousness that God desires. Therefore, get rid of all moral filth and the evil that is so prevalent and humbly accept the word planted in you, which can save your soul.

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