question 1: " What is the main lesson you learned about yourself and your relationship to happiness by doing the Happiness Monologue?"
question 2: "What was the most truthful thing you said?"
question 3: " Is there anything else you wish you had said?"
Become aware about the conversation you have with your self and others about how much happiness you tell yourself is possible.
The goal is to listen to yourself and discover what your mantra is..
Usually people have six paradigms (taken directly from Robert Holden's Book) read through to find out if you resonate with any of them..each paradigm is then followed by a little red flag in italics at the end.
1. The Achievement Paradigm: Driven by a belief that happiness is a by-product of effort, action and doing. It is something you must accomplish.
BUT what about the happiness that is effortless and exists irrespective of your to-do list?
2. The Possession Paradigm: Key words in this paradigm are "having" "manifesting" " attracting". Happiness is considered as an external object which one has to find and keep.
BUT this paradigm encourages a 'having mode' rather than a 'being mode'.
3. The Reward Paradigm: According to this paradigm, happiness is not natural; it must be earned and deserved. A medal you win for being good enough, for being responsible and for succeeding at something.
BUT this reward is bestowed by whom? It's your superego which always says repeatedly you are not good enough yet!
4. The Destination paradigm: This paradigm is about "searching", "looking" or "finding" with a belief in the "pursuit of happiness". The focus is always upon the future, and the language is always about "becoming happy" rather than "being happy". Like a finishing line you will cross someday.
BUT the more you look and strive the more you overlook the possibility that it is here already!
5. The Choice Paradigm: This paradigm relates to happiness as a state of mind. People with this paradigm talk about "inner peace", they experience "joy within" and they believe that happiness is an "inside job".
BUT what happens when you have a toothache or a period pain? Is the joy still there or does it only exist because you chose it?
6. The Identity Paradigm: People who experience happiness as a "way of being". In this paradigm, happiness is sometimes referred to as a 'frequency', an 'energy' or a 'harmonic'.
BUT this paradigm is too weird and big for your ego "to get". In fact it has nothing to do with your ego at all!
next week i will put up the joy mantra for each of the above paradigms which is designed for you to be more open to a greater experience of happiness now.
