Just Continue That Thought...

A thought by Henry Cloud, from his book, The Law of Happiness: How Spiritual Wisdom and Modern Science Can Change Your Life (The Secret Things of God) (p. 49). Howard Books. Kindle Edition. (Click on the book title to go to Amazon.com to buy the book.) We’re dealing with happiness here that we can have by living in the moment. Henry says, “Much of people’s inability to live in the present results from their trying to live in the future to avoid what they are experiencing right now. They are like a hamster on a wheel, always trying to stay one step ahead of their feelings. The behavior is often a coping mechanism that was developed early in their lives to avoid painful feelings or to give them a feeling of control over environments that were painful or stressful. But the problem is that now the coping mechanism from the past works against them, creating more stress and keeping them from achieving happiness in their present lives. They take their pasts with them into the pre...

A thought by Henry Cloud, from his book, The Law of Happiness: How Spiritual Wisdom and Modern Science Can Change Your Life (The Secret Things of God) (p. 47). Howard Books. Kindle Edition. (Click on the book title to go to Amazon.com to buy the book.) Yes, there are activities in our today that will make a difference in how we live tomorrow but this moment is all we really have. Henry says, “Research has shown that people’s ability to focus on the moments they are experiencing right now, the joys and pleasures of the present, actually make them happier and less stressed and depressed. Happiness researcher Sonja Lyubomirsky, one of the leading happiness scientists, puts it this way: ‘People who are inclined to savor were found to be more self-confident, extraverted, and gratified and less hopeless and neurotic. . . . Those skilled at capturing the joy of the present moment—hanging on to good feelings, appreciating good things—are less likely to experience depression, stres...

A thought by Henry Cloud, from his book, The Law of Happiness: How Spiritual Wisdom and Modern Science Can Change Your Life (The Secret Things of God) (p. 46). Howard Books. Kindle Edition. (Click on the book title to go to Amazon.com to buy the book.) Is that true of you or are you looking to be happy “when”? Henry says, “. . . some people feel that happiness is on some sort of timeline and depends on a later event. It cannot happen now, because there is a missing piece that has not occurred yet. But in reality, people who think this way do not magically become happy ‘when’ the ‘whatever’ it is happens. They just transfer that mindset to the next ‘when.’” He goes on, “Happy people are happy ‘now.’ Because they practice all the ingredients we are looking at, they are never dependent on a someday or a tomorrow to be the key to their well-being. They are fulfilled before that upcoming event ever takes place. They are happy ‘now.’ “What gives them this ability? Sev...