How does a person live life in a happy and meaningful manner?
I believe that happiness in life can be achieved if a person becomes convinced of two important principles: 1) To realize the importance of always thinking and acting in a loving manner and 2) Taking quiet time each day to reflect and meditate.
If we hold on to resentments toward other people, we create a personal emotional prison. Anger and criticism of others creates internal misery. When love is absent in a person's life, life becomes a miserable journey. When a person doesn't realize the importance of always being kind and loving, anger and depression can possess a person. To be possessed by anger creates tension. To be possessed by depression causes a person to painfully feel like a robot. Joy disappears. Love is absent. Indifference toward life takes over. Nothing becomes meaningful and no one is permitted to connect with us emotionally.
To make a decision to be loving creates an internal attitude of freedom. To take quiet time each day to be reflective and meditative allows me to deepen my relationship with God. In an abundance of quiet time, my emotional and physical system slows down and anything that blocks me from internal freedom can be recognized and allows me to let go of what imprisons me emotionally and spiritually.
When I put love as a primary principle in my life, I will discover an internal oasis that allows me to feel good and see goodness everywhere. When I reserve quiet time each day, I become filled with a calm awareness of what is most important in my life.
These two principles are so profound and yet so simple. Neglecting these principles block us from a genuine and positive experience of life. Yet everyone can easily neglect these principles. We minimize the importance of being loving and positive. We minimize the importance of being quiet and reflective. The busyness of life can distract us from slowing down. We become bombarded with so much stimuli that we can seldom discover the peaceful oasis of Love and Meditation. Yet, when we do this, we discover a depth within ourselves that uplifts us and relaxes us.
Make a decision at this very moment to embrace a loving attitude. Look at the next person you see and wish them goodness and look for goodness in them. Send them love by a wish and a loving attitude toward them. Become quiet at this very moment and listen to God speaking within you and listen to your inner goodness. Reserve some quiet time this day to stay silent and reflective.
What I am suggesting here has been practiced by the movers and changers of the world for centuries. These simple principles are so helpful. The more they are practiced, the more an oasis of wisdom and peace enters our mind and heart.
Life is really quite simple. We just complicate life because practicing simple principles at first can be difficult to accept until we make the consistent effort to practice them. Once we become consistent at this, we begin to realize the importance of being very simple and uncomplicated: Love and Be Reflective. It will change your life in a very positive way. You will become internally free, happy and wise. Just do it!
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Fred Cavaiani is a licensed marriage & family therapist and limited licensed psychologist with a private practice in Troy. He is the founder of Marriage Growth Center. He conducts numerous programs for groups throughout Michigan. Cavaiani is associate editor and contributing writer for Human Development Magazine. His column in the Legal News runs every other Tuesday. He can be reached at 248-362-3340. His e-mail address is: Fredcavi@yahoo.com and his website is FredsCounselorsCorner.com.
