Can You Choose Happiness?

I was wearing my 'choose happiness" bracelet yesterday. Someone working in an office noticed it and said they really liked it because, being in an office, it only takes one person with bad energy to come in and ruin everyone's day. I thought about that awhile.  You do run into certain people who make you so upset that you find yourself still upset hours after they leave. But, I question, is that on them or on you? What you decide to do with the bad energy or bad experience is really up to you, isn't it?  Because the other person has long since departed and moved on!

Have a mantra as a tool in the back of your mind for times such as these. 

-I am grateful.

-Infinite love and gratitude (Darren Weissman)

-I don't have to feel this way

-I choose happiness

 

I gave everyone in a class a piece of paper and asked them to read it. The paper simply said "happiness".  Then I asked them to turn their heads to the right and look at the studio's burgundy wall, which they did. (You can try this right now before reading any farther.)  This afforded me the perfect opportunity to offer a quote by Lama Thubten Yeshs, which reads: 

"Happiness: It’s Here, But We’re Looking Over There."

Every single yogi was holding happiness in their hands yet they all willingly turned away from it when asked to do so. Take the analogy that me having them turn their heads away is like the grumpy person coming into an office and venting.  What do you choose?  I asked them to think about why they would turn away from what was right before them in their hands...happiness...just because I had asked them to. (Yes, I know I set them up!)



 Here's a Buddhist story called  Because I'm Here:

An old monk was sweeping the yard in a monastery under the scorching sun.

Another monk passed by and asked him, "How old are you?"

The old monk replied, "I'm seventy-seven."

"You are so old! Why are you still working so hard here?"

"Well, because I'm here."

"But why are you working under the scorching sun?"

"Because the sun is there."

 

The scorching sun is the grumpy visitor to the office. But here, the monk does not get caught up in the sun's drama; he just keeps on staying in his present.

Check out the following link for another story on choosing happiness!
 http://sudhara.com/2014/07/12/choose-life-choice-yours/

And, in the meantime, carry around your own happiness.

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