Contentment and happiness are things you choose and create for yourself. It`s an art form the French call “joie de vivre” (the joy of living).
A good idea to keep in mind is that being and feeling are much more satisfying than having. You want the having of things – like a good job, a nice car, a comfortable home - so you can be and feel better. When you get good at joie de vivre, you won’t need anything to be happy – so you are free!
Have you noticed that little experiences through your senses produce, through association and memory, a gamut of emotions? The smell of bread baking in the kitchen, pine trees at Christmas, the feeling of hot sand between your toes on a beach and the sound of the waves and gulls, stroking a pet, eating an orange- all are sensory experiences of which we can become more aware through practice. Concentrate on each, notice the feeling of well being flooding through you, and savor it. Use your imagination to conjure these memories any time of day when you need a lift. The more practice you get, the stronger your experience, and the stronger your habitual feeling of happiness and well being will be. Every moment you live will be fuller and richer, and you will become expert at sidestepping the effects of negative (and sometimes destructive) emotions.
If you can find ways to enjoy life more, from moment to moment, say, by treating yourself to happy thoughts, sensory pleasure, time in nature, time with a good book - this keeps us from seeking too much consolation from any one pleasure (like “medicating” ourselves with food or drink), and allows us to live in better balance. There is great value in taking pleasure from life. Allowing your senses to lead you toward a fuller sense of well-being will change your experience of life – from lackful and dreary to vibrant and rich! You will find yourself smiling more, giving more, and living more.
Jioe de vivre...why not?
A good idea to keep in mind is that being and feeling are much more satisfying than having. You want the having of things – like a good job, a nice car, a comfortable home - so you can be and feel better. When you get good at joie de vivre, you won’t need anything to be happy – so you are free!
Have you noticed that little experiences through your senses produce, through association and memory, a gamut of emotions? The smell of bread baking in the kitchen, pine trees at Christmas, the feeling of hot sand between your toes on a beach and the sound of the waves and gulls, stroking a pet, eating an orange- all are sensory experiences of which we can become more aware through practice. Concentrate on each, notice the feeling of well being flooding through you, and savor it. Use your imagination to conjure these memories any time of day when you need a lift. The more practice you get, the stronger your experience, and the stronger your habitual feeling of happiness and well being will be. Every moment you live will be fuller and richer, and you will become expert at sidestepping the effects of negative (and sometimes destructive) emotions.
If you can find ways to enjoy life more, from moment to moment, say, by treating yourself to happy thoughts, sensory pleasure, time in nature, time with a good book - this keeps us from seeking too much consolation from any one pleasure (like “medicating” ourselves with food or drink), and allows us to live in better balance. There is great value in taking pleasure from life. Allowing your senses to lead you toward a fuller sense of well-being will change your experience of life – from lackful and dreary to vibrant and rich! You will find yourself smiling more, giving more, and living more.
Jioe de vivre...why not?
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