![]() ![]() I felt it in my soul.įor the next sixteen years, I continued to search for satisfaction outside of myself. I developed the awareness at that point in my life that no matter what, I would never be satisfied. Then one day I woke up and simply wasn’t happy anymore. Character building, in terms of spiritual growth, was not something I sought for happiness but rather as a means to obtain something, a tool rather than a virtue.Īt age twenty, I fulfilled a childhood dream by becoming a zookeeper. I’ve always liked the saying, “I didn’t know what I didn’t know.” For years I was unaware there existed a better way to live a life based on spiritual principles that could bring true inner-peace and happiness. “The first step toward change is awareness. I am judged by my actions, not my intentions. As a result, I had a skewed perception of how I was actually perceived by others. Most of the time, I had the best of intentions but rarely followed up with the appropriate action. For years, I confused my actions with intentions. I must point out why I use the phrase based in reality. The natural result being self-respect and a positive self-image based in reality. Eventually, the right thoughts are the first to come into our mind, followed by the right actions. It takes practice and gets easier over time. That is why it is important to realize this journey is a process. Yet in order to do the right things ( action), I have to think them first. It just doesn’t work that way, a least not for me. I cannot intellectualize and read about happiness and wake up one day happy. I can’t think my way into good living, I must live my way into good thinking). I have to do ( action) and say ( words) the right things in order to think ( thought) healthy about myself and be happy. When looking at these three areas, there appears to be a paradox. It has been a long journey and one that continues on a day-to-day basis. Personally, I did not wake up one day and love everything and everyone… how could I? I did not truly love myself-or so I discovered through this process. Not only love for myself, but also love for all of God’s creatures. It has been my experience that thought, words, and actions based upon love bring the greatest serenity and happiness into my life. The result of such harmony is a healthy self-image based in reality. Thus, I need to get three things in harmony thought, words, and action. I have found Ghandi’s view of happiness to be right on. “Happiness is when what you think, what you say, and what you do are in harmony.” I have broken the process down into seven steps: In the coming weeks I will explore the process of finding inner peace and happiness as it has worked for me.
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