Happiness Day 2

[gifted_spirit]

Day 2: The Happiness Contract
As a child, you experience happiness as being natural and easy. Happiness is your original energy. Playfulness is your true nature. Joy is your spiritual DNA. In the years that follow, your personality creates a Happiness Contract that is full of learned ideas and false beliefs that limit your daily allowance of joy. Some examples of this conditioned thinking include fears like "too much happiness is selfish," beliefs like "I must deserve happiness," rules like "I must earn happiness," and self-made laws like "I must sacrifice myself for others' happiness" and "it's not okay for me to be happy if others are not."

Be Happy Exercise: The Happiness Contract is a metaphor, but its effects feel very real. The good news is you can rewrite your Happiness Contract by being willing to accept happiness more unconditionally in your life. Today's assignment is to complete the following sentence 10 times: "One way I limit my own happiness is..." Free-associate. Don't think too much. Let your answers flow. If you draw a blank, simply move on. Afterward, examine your answers carefully, looking for any learned rules, laws and fears that you can surrender and let go of.Happiness is free-there are no conditions.


Homework:

1. "One way I limit my own happiness is...point out all the things I haven't finished yet.
2. "One way I limit my own happiness is...say " I will do that happy thing as a reward later, but FIRST..."
3. "One way I limit my own happiness is...focus on what and who I am missing. " It would be better if [ person i love] is here."
4. "One way I limit my own happiness is...I see who I am not.  " I am not thin", " I am not skilled", etc
5. "One way I limit my own happiness is...by worrying how others will see me.
6. "One way I limit my own happiness is...by worrying if I will upset others or negatively impact them.
7. "One way I limit my own happiness is...I don't listen to my own body
8. "One way I limit my own happiness is...I see play as an indulgent behaviour.
9. "One way I limit my own happiness is...by multi tasking - never focusing on just ONE thing and every nuance of it.
10. "One way I limit my own happiness is...by CHASING happiness.