Penny
Spring is fully sprung now! It's been hard to get into the garden for planting because the soil is so wet, but all the bulbs and perennials are happy as all-get-out with the cool and the wet. We've got flowers galore and hopefully soon all the vegetables will be in the ground.
What are you growing this year?
Even if you don't have a garden, you could be growing more peace and happiness!
The Habits of Happiness is going LIVE!
My first event in a year is scheduled for July 16Th, online.
This is the first time I will be sharing this information live! Will you join me?
With all that is going on the world right now, does it seem selfish or trivial to focus on one's own happiness? I think it's the exact opposite. The world is always going to be in turmoil. At least as far into the future as I can see. We can't wait for the world to be perfect before we strive for our own happiness. There is not a 'later' for this important work.
And, most importantly, your happiness can be a stabilizing and uplifting influence on those around you. And that in turn can affect hundreds or thousands of other people. You have more reach than you know. In a world seemingly going down for the count, there are millions and millions of people around the world living and spreading love and happiness to counterbalance this.
You can be part of this movement. You can start by developing the Habits of Happiness for yourself!
To read more and buy tickets click here: The Habits of Happiness 1 workshop:
Beliefs are emotional and mental habits!
We really can't think our way through each day by making judgements about everything. That's what childhood is for. In our childhood and youth we are exposed to endless novel situations that force us to form opinions, beliefs, and strategies. Most of these become unconscious responses: fire: hot, snow: beautiful and fun, (later in life maybe snow: beautiful but a pain in the butt and dangerous), loud people:obnoxious (or fun!), teachers: a mixed bag. We all have our likes and dislikes. We weren't born with most of these, we learned them. And every time we practiced this belief by believing in it, our brains wired it a little more tightly into our nervous system. And there it stays, until we bump up against a challenge to it.
Let me give you an example from my own life. When I was in grade school I had a belief that I didn't like people with red hair. I don't know where that belief came from, but I certainly believed it. Then one day I was looking at someone I DID like, and realized she had red hair. So now my brain had a dilemma. I had a new fact that controverted my belief. So I had to modify my belief, and assess how I felt about each redheaded person I encountered. Turns out, I liked some and not others. Just like all people.
This is also what childhood is for: reassessing beliefs as new information is gained.
When beliefs get stuck
But too often, this reassessment doesn't happen. Brain habits, cultural and familial pressures can prevent new information from even being perceived; sometimes the outside pressures to change feel too dangerous to challenge. Or, taking on a new perspective can feel too scary or difficult.
You can read more about how beliefs are formed, how they get stuck and the cost to individuals and society when people can't see actual facts, and when people continue to live in a trance world built by their beliefs in my blog:Why We Believe (What is Clearly Not True)
What is YOUR story?
We all emerge into adulthood with certain beliefs about ourselves. We are fun loving, daring, retiring, introverted, we love a challenge, we're leaders or followers; we like to be out front getting all the attention or we prefer to do our work in the background.
Some of these beliefs work for us, feel congruent: they fit us. But most of us have a bunch of beliefs that are just not true. That never got updated. Like a shirt that no longer fits us and we don't know how to get out of.
Like: you're not worthy, you're not enough, no one wants to hear from you, you always screw up, who do you think you are anyway? Some of these beliefs were given to us, some we grabbed for ourselves (what I call vows), some are 'emotional family heirlooms,' such as "all the men in our family die young of heart disease."
So how do you sort out what's true and what's available for updating?

You call me!
That's what the process of tapping is all about. You already know what's not working for you, we find the beliefs (emotions) that are holding you back, and start to change them. We can start with tapping. And another thing you can do is develop the Habits of Happiness.
Tapping releases the old gunk that is keeping you back, Happiness gives you wings. Tapping brings you back to neutral, happiness gets your feet off the ground. They work together.
There are several ways to start:
- you can try this lesson, Happiness Habit #16
- Call me for a short conversation about EFT coaching
- Enroll in the Habits of Happiness 1 course
- or come to the workshop on July 16th, buy tickets here
Waiting and wanting won't do it. You have to DO.
Two tried and true methods: meditation and walking in nature. I bet you have at least a short list of things that make you happy. Have you ever written them down? Try that. When you can look at a list, it makes it easier to remember those things when your brain is stressed and you need them the most!
I hope you are enjoying the intermittent dry spells!
blessings,
Penny
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