Today's DailyOM Offerings...
November 24, 2014
Meditations for Happiness
Rick Hanson
2011
"When you look back on your life, what do you remember, the 10,000 pleasures and accomplishments or the handful of losses and failures?" This is one of the key questions that counselor and healer Rick Hanson asks us in Meditations for Happiness, an indispensable three-disc meditation set (the perfect gift for the stressed-out relative or friend, or self). An excellent guide through these thorny issues, Hanson has a gently compassionate, nurturing voice that manages to make these points hit home without raising egoistic hackles. Learning to live in happiness can feel like an uphill battle as painful mistakes linger crystal-clear in our minds forever while all the good times just fade away into nothing. "It's as if we are predisposed to believe the worst about ourselves and doubt the best." Hanson's here to reverse that formula.
In addition to the numerous meditations, Hanson points out the three elements of unhappiness: self-criticism, resisting the way things are, and envy. He notes that "resisting reality makes us feel let down, at war with the world as it is; it's very painful and not necessary at all." We can work to change the way things are, but first we must accept that they are, in fact, that way. Meditation topics include: compassion ("self compassion has more benefits than self-esteem, it's more emotional"); the inner protector; taking refuge in what's reliable; learning to let go; taking inventory of the good things in your life; the big space of awareness; being for yourself; working through an upset; happiness as our natural state; and coming home to happiness.
Each meditation is rich in suggestion and detail, and Hanson notes we should take what feels right and leave the rest. The important thing is not becoming upset if something such as a repressed trauma is brought into light, triggering a painful response. Hanson says that "simply bringing it to mind and then finding basic goodwill for yourself in that situation, basic warmth and concern," will work wonders. With his deep awareness of the inner workings of our minds and his patience in helping us past our own inner demons and doubts, Rick Hanson's Meditations for Happiness works wonders too. Those 10,000 pleasures and accomplishments in our lives are just waiting to be remembered. Just let go of that handful of failures and press play.
November 24, 2014
Insightful Pleasures
Sagittarius Daily Horoscope
An impulsive manner paired with a mood of uncertainty can interfere with your good judgment today. You may be driven by unspecific needs to seek solace in luxurious material goods or activities that are gratifying but add nothing of value to your experience. Yet as you come to realize that these indulgences do little to lift your spirits, you may begin to question the source of your whims and whether they are representative of other veiled desires. If you explore the compulsions influencing you today, you may discover that you are compensating for feelings of sadness, fear, or anxiety. Once you address your emotional needs directly, your ardent desire to surround yourself with superficial creature comforts will likely melt away.
Our whims and compulsions can teach us much about our deeper emotional needs when we are willing to take the time to understand the roots of our desires. Nearly every outward manifestation of want is derived from a foundation of cravings that come from the cavernous depths of our souls. The longings that drive us to act impulsively are often indicative of some greater issues languishing in our intellectual or emotional unconscious that have not yet been addressed. To examine our desires within the context of our inner landscape allows us to indulge ourselves in insightful pleasures that fulfill not only our superficial cravings but also those that are the result of unexplored regions of our core selves. You will meet needs both base and profound today when you do your best to satisfy your true desires.
November 24, 2014
Making Big Change Easier
Small Steps to Big Change
by Madisyn Taylor
When making big change in our life, it can be easier to break it up into a few small changes to avoid overwhelm.
When we decide that it’s time for big changes in our lives, it is wise to ease into them by starting small. Small changes allow us to grow into a new habit and make it a permanent part of our lives, whereas sudden changes may cause a sense of failure that makes it difficult to go on, and we are more likely to revert to our old ways. Even if we have gone that route and find ourselves contemplating the choice to start over again, we can decide to take it slowly this time, and move forward.
Sometimes the goals we set for ourselves are merely indicators of the need for change and are useful in getting us moving in the right direction. But it is possible that once we try out what seemed so ideal, we may find that it doesn’t actually suit us, or make us feel the way we had hoped. By embarking on the path slowly, we have the chance to look around and consider other options as we learn and grow. We have time to examine the underlying values of the desire for change and find ways to manifest those feelings, whether it looks exactly like our initial goal or not. Taking small steps forward gives us time to adjust and find secure footing on our new path.
Life doesn’t always give us the opportunity to anticipate or prepare for a big change, and we may find ourselves overwhelmed by what is in front of us. By choosing one thing to work on at a time, we focus our attention on something manageable, and eventually we will look up to see that we have accomplished quite a bit. Forcing change is, in essence, a sign that we do not trust the universe’s wisdom. Instead, we can listen to our inner guidance and make changes at a pace that is right for us, ensuring that we do so in alignment with the rhythm of the universe.
Meditations for Happiness
Rick Hanson
2011
"When you look back on your life, what do you remember, the 10,000 pleasures and accomplishments or the handful of losses and failures?" This is one of the key questions that counselor and healer Rick Hanson asks us in Meditations for Happiness, an indispensable three-disc meditation set (the perfect gift for the stressed-out relative or friend, or self). An excellent guide through these thorny issues, Hanson has a gently compassionate, nurturing voice that manages to make these points hit home without raising egoistic hackles. Learning to live in happiness can feel like an uphill battle as painful mistakes linger crystal-clear in our minds forever while all the good times just fade away into nothing. "It's as if we are predisposed to believe the worst about ourselves and doubt the best." Hanson's here to reverse that formula.
In addition to the numerous meditations, Hanson points out the three elements of unhappiness: self-criticism, resisting the way things are, and envy. He notes that "resisting reality makes us feel let down, at war with the world as it is; it's very painful and not necessary at all." We can work to change the way things are, but first we must accept that they are, in fact, that way. Meditation topics include: compassion ("self compassion has more benefits than self-esteem, it's more emotional"); the inner protector; taking refuge in what's reliable; learning to let go; taking inventory of the good things in your life; the big space of awareness; being for yourself; working through an upset; happiness as our natural state; and coming home to happiness.
Each meditation is rich in suggestion and detail, and Hanson notes we should take what feels right and leave the rest. The important thing is not becoming upset if something such as a repressed trauma is brought into light, triggering a painful response. Hanson says that "simply bringing it to mind and then finding basic goodwill for yourself in that situation, basic warmth and concern," will work wonders. With his deep awareness of the inner workings of our minds and his patience in helping us past our own inner demons and doubts, Rick Hanson's Meditations for Happiness works wonders too. Those 10,000 pleasures and accomplishments in our lives are just waiting to be remembered. Just let go of that handful of failures and press play.
November 24, 2014
Insightful Pleasures
Sagittarius Daily Horoscope
An impulsive manner paired with a mood of uncertainty can interfere with your good judgment today. You may be driven by unspecific needs to seek solace in luxurious material goods or activities that are gratifying but add nothing of value to your experience. Yet as you come to realize that these indulgences do little to lift your spirits, you may begin to question the source of your whims and whether they are representative of other veiled desires. If you explore the compulsions influencing you today, you may discover that you are compensating for feelings of sadness, fear, or anxiety. Once you address your emotional needs directly, your ardent desire to surround yourself with superficial creature comforts will likely melt away.
Our whims and compulsions can teach us much about our deeper emotional needs when we are willing to take the time to understand the roots of our desires. Nearly every outward manifestation of want is derived from a foundation of cravings that come from the cavernous depths of our souls. The longings that drive us to act impulsively are often indicative of some greater issues languishing in our intellectual or emotional unconscious that have not yet been addressed. To examine our desires within the context of our inner landscape allows us to indulge ourselves in insightful pleasures that fulfill not only our superficial cravings but also those that are the result of unexplored regions of our core selves. You will meet needs both base and profound today when you do your best to satisfy your true desires.
November 24, 2014
Making Big Change Easier
Small Steps to Big Change
by Madisyn Taylor
When making big change in our life, it can be easier to break it up into a few small changes to avoid overwhelm.
When we decide that it’s time for big changes in our lives, it is wise to ease into them by starting small. Small changes allow us to grow into a new habit and make it a permanent part of our lives, whereas sudden changes may cause a sense of failure that makes it difficult to go on, and we are more likely to revert to our old ways. Even if we have gone that route and find ourselves contemplating the choice to start over again, we can decide to take it slowly this time, and move forward.
Sometimes the goals we set for ourselves are merely indicators of the need for change and are useful in getting us moving in the right direction. But it is possible that once we try out what seemed so ideal, we may find that it doesn’t actually suit us, or make us feel the way we had hoped. By embarking on the path slowly, we have the chance to look around and consider other options as we learn and grow. We have time to examine the underlying values of the desire for change and find ways to manifest those feelings, whether it looks exactly like our initial goal or not. Taking small steps forward gives us time to adjust and find secure footing on our new path.
Life doesn’t always give us the opportunity to anticipate or prepare for a big change, and we may find ourselves overwhelmed by what is in front of us. By choosing one thing to work on at a time, we focus our attention on something manageable, and eventually we will look up to see that we have accomplished quite a bit. Forcing change is, in essence, a sign that we do not trust the universe’s wisdom. Instead, we can listen to our inner guidance and make changes at a pace that is right for us, ensuring that we do so in alignment with the rhythm of the universe.