The main technique in the book Look for Beauty – Find Happiness is a mindfulness technique and all of a sudden. mindfulness is becoming a big thing. Even Time Magazine has published a Mindfulness special edition. I know this because I saw it in the grocery store checkout line today.
Once a subject makes it to the grocery store checkout counter, Not everything that makes it there is worthwhile, but every once in a while they get it right. This is one of those times. Keeping your awareness in the present moment is the foundation of happiness.
The beauty of mindfulness is that there are many ways to achieve it. Of course, I am partial to the Look for Beauty – Find Happiness method, not just because I wrote the book, but because it works so well for me.
I even modify the Look for Beauty – Find Happiness technique to fit my personality. Since I am an engineer and a scientist, I can also look for “interesting” and find happiness.Things that are interesting to me include unusual plants or animals, man-made things that are made well, and just interesting lines in nature or man-made objects.
No matter which way you achieve mindfulness, it will help you live a happier and healthier life. I recently read a study that showed that people that engage in yoga and mindfulness techniques actually repair stress-caused damage on a molecular level. I knew that there were previous studies that showed microbiological benefit from positive thinking, but it is even better to see that these techniques can repair stress-caused damage.
There is a great quote from a guest speaker at the meditation group that I belong to. She said that bringing your thoughts into the present moment breaks “the mental chat room” that is often running in our heads. Every one there knew immediately what she was talking about.
We often have one or more “conversations” running in our heads. These are seldom very productive and often emotionally destructive. I know that there have been times that I have literally and vocally told myself to “stop it” when a train of thought kept repeating over and over.
Now, when that happens, I use the Look for Beauty – Find Happiness technique to bring me into the present moment and break the cycle. It is amazing how much of a relief it is when this happens. There is an obvious physical reaction when you come into mindfulness.
When you come into mindfulness, you can feel the tension melt away. Muscles that were tense for no good reason start to relax. Vision gets better because you are not straining your eyes so much.
I hope that you are beginning to see how mindfulness can help you lead a happier and healthier life. Of course my book Look for Beauty – Find Happiness has helped many people. Check it out on my web site or on Amazon.