Musings and Reviews of Metaphysical, New Age and Meaningful Writings

Posts tagged ‘happiness’

Want More Happiness and Abundance? Read HUMAN CONNECTION #BookReview and #AuthorInterview


Human ConnectionLaughing, Learning, Leading, Loving and Living Large all play a critical role in making our lives and personal relationships as good as they can be. Arthur F. Coombs’ delightful storytelling in HUMAN CONNECTION: How the “L” Do We Do That? is all about becoming the best “you” possible using these five tools.

Coombs is an excellent storyteller, weaving a very personal narrative with historical examples of how it takes connection with others to be happy and fulfilled. He takes us under his wing, and unabashedly shares the most poignant moments in his life, including both his failures and successes. He also includes motivational stories and quotes from his family and friends as well as famously wise men and women, from Gandhi and the Buddha, to Coco Chanel and Marianne Williamson.

Laughing is the first key to forming a solid connection with others and also “the only way to get through life…” quotes Coombs, adding “…laughter can kick off positive thoughts and feelings that lighten the mood and put things into perspective.” Coombs offers wonderful examples of how humor not only alleviates stress, but makes us feel good, and then he keeps us smiling and laughing throughout the book as he covers the other four L’s as well.

Whether you want to be a good Leader at work or at home, the capacity for Laughing, Learning, Loving and Living Large are all interconnected and Coombs deftly makes it all sound seamlessly doable, from loving ourselves, to unconditionally loving others.

Coombs family

 

Reading this book will inspire you to Live Large — abundantly, wholeheartedly, to the fullest — and also give you the tools to do so.

Arthur F. Coombs III is a best-selling author, speaker, leadership guru, and single father of four, who is known for his visionary and innovative practices. Here, he answers my questions on HUMAN CONNECTION: How the “L” Do We Do That?

What would you like readers to take away from reading your book?

If we want to have a meaningful impact on those closest to us, at home or in the office, we must genuinely connect with them…in person. Not just through email, texting, or social media sites.

Technology has made our lives easier in many ways, but when it comes to human connection, nothing beats doing life together in real time.

Yes, life in community gets messy. We hurt other people’s feelings. We get our feelings hurt. We disagree. We argue. We sometimes say and do things we regret.

But when we continue to try, when we make connections and develop deeper relationships, we grow exponentially. We learn about the world around us. We bond with others. We heal. We mature. We become better versions of ourselves.

Why is connecting with others in person so important?

With genuine human connection, you can have more profound, more fulfilling relationships if you focus on five L’s: Living, Laughing, Learning, Leading, and Loving.

Living: Making an effort to be physically present, to interact and share with others on a regular basis is a critical step.

Laughing: Laughter is a beautiful and healing expression of joy. Whether you are 2 months or 102 years old, laughing is how we communicate: “I want to know you. I feel safe with you. I trust you. I feel connected to you.”

Learning: Being open-minded and willing to listen to another’s point of view or feelings without necessarily accepting them is a gift to both people. Connection demands that you are eager to teach and be taught.

Leading: If you want to lead others well in any capacity, you must first care about them. Whether you are leading or being led, true human connection is vital.

Loving: Love has many languages, takes many actions, and has endless forms of expression. Learn what moves you and perhaps more importantly what moves those you care about. Choose mercy. Choose compassion. Choose forgiveness. Choose each day to be genuinely kind.

We were not created to live and work alone. Authentic human connection is everything. And it begins with you. Without genuine human-to-human connection, you will never live the rich, wholehearted life you were meant to live.

In your book, you explain how we “Create Our Own World.” Can you provide a little insight into that concept here?

It sounds so cliché, but you truly are the masters of your own destiny.  It seems we all commit to ourselves to improve and yet most will admit they are not living the life they truly want. How many times have you made the same commitment to change for the better only to see it die a quick death? Many make promises to lose weight, stop smoking, start their own business, eat healthier, exercise regularly, be a better parent… you get it. I applaud the verbal affirmation. It is a start. However, there are no quick fixes, magic pills, or secret shortcuts. Real transformational work is hard, exhausting, and will involve sacrifice and uncomfortable choices. Two cues:

1: Break the goal down into small, doable, daily tasks. Instead of the abstract goal of “losing weight,” commit to specific small actions you can do every day that will propel you towards your overall goal.

2: When you stumble on your small committed action (it will happen), no sweat! Just get back to it tomorrow. Recognize that stumbling and getting back up is part of the process.

You are the source of your fortunes. Your dream is clearest to you and you alone. Let the dream drive sustained action. You have a fresh 24 today. What will you do with them? What world will you create?

What is a “Story Holder” and why do you think it is so important to be one?

“Everybody is a genius. But if you judge a fish by its ability to climb a tree, it will live its whole life believing that it is stupid.” – Albert Einstein

Just like those tree-climbing fish, society often tells us that we are not enough. We are not smart enough. We are not tall enough. We are not pretty enough, thin enough, fast enough, strong enough. Enough, enough, ENOUGH! When we pile on our own negative perceptions and feelings for others on top of what society tells us, we are creating a self-fulfilling prophecy that will most definitely come to pass.

You must bask in the light of others and allow them to share from time to time. You must give them the emotional space and comfort that allows them to drop their mask and talk to you. You must listen to your friends’ stories and savor and celebrate their authenticity and empathize with their pain. Hold their stories with reverence. Let your friends know you can be trusted and are worthy of hearing their stories. And when appropriate, laugh with them. Let them feel they are enough. Let them feel your trust, loyalty, and love.

You quote Brené Brown saying “…we can only love others as much as we love ourselves.” How does one truly love themselves?

 There are many things I do that promote healthy self-love. I sing and dance in the kitchen making my kids cringe and laugh all at the same time. I laugh at my mistakes. I make many. But the quickest and easiest tip I can give anyone that is struggling with self-love is to do a random act of kindness for another.

My natural reaction to stress, depression and my own selfish funk is to turn inward and shut myself off; I want to stay focused on my burdensome to-do list, and I want to be left alone. But then the lyrics of the song “Have I Done Any Good” by Will L. Thompson start dancing through my head, and I remember that the fastest antidote for self-loathing, discouragement and depression is to do something for someone else. I promise it truly works. I’ve tried it over and over, and it has been a foolproof method for creating healthy self-love, optimism, and cheerfulness.

How would you define true or real love?

The best definition I can give you for true love is “Love is wanting the happiness of another with no ulterior motives.” It is that simple. Hard to do, but that simple.

What is the secret to Living Large, as you describe a genuinely fulfilled life?

Do not let your past enslave or define you. Do not worry about the things you cannot control. Embrace and even encourage honest mistakes. Happiness is a choice, and anger, resentment, and jealousy are as well. Choose wisely. It is yours and yours alone to make. Your reputation means little; what other people think of you is not nearly as important as what you think of you. People and organizations who use shame, guilt, and judgment to create fear, intimidation, and control are not worth my time and energy. No matter how hard I try to please, plenty of people are not going to love me. There are only two things that are truly important to me — my time and my relationships. I protect closely what I do with my time and who I do it with.

Human Connection: How the “L” Do We Do That? is available on Amazon. Learn more at www.ArtCoombs.com.

Namaste!
Becca Chopra, author of The Chakra Diaries, Chakra Secrets, Balance Your Chakras-Balance Your Life, and The Chakra Energy Diet

www.theChakras.org

 

 

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Famous Quotes on Achieving Success and Happiness – #FREEeBook plus #Author Interview


screen-shot-2017-01-11-at-4-14-29-pmSo many people do not feel happy, successful or satisfied with their lives. Perhaps, as author Atticus Aristotle writes, they have not set their minds on a specific goal. Do you underestimate your potential? Do you feel unhappy because of challenges or circumstances you face in your life?

We all have our ups and downs and it is great to have a resource to help lift us up when we need it. I recommend you pick up the FREE KINDLE of Success and Happiness – Quotes to Motivate, Inspire & Live By.

You will find advice from some of the most famous people in history, from The Buddha and Confucius to Gandhi, Helen Keller and Martin Luther King.

The subjects covered range from Character and Karma to Anger and Desire. This is a great book to skim through for a thought for the day, to overcome fear, release anger or resentment, or to be inspired to keep fighting for what you believe in, especially in the political climate we now find ourselves in.

I found these quotes spoke to me today, especially the first, as we celebrate Martin Luther King Jr. Day:

“The time is right to do what is right.” ~ Martin Luther King

“Our life is what our thoughts make it.” ~ Marcus Aurelius

“Those who are free of resentful thoughts surely find peace.” ~ The Buddha

“The weak can never forgive. Forgiveness is the attribute of the strong.” ~ Gandhi

“Happiness calls out responsive gladness in others. There is enough sadness in the world without yours….” ~ Helen Keller

INTERVIEW WITH AUTHOR ATTICUS ARISTOTLE

1) What inspired you to put all these quotes from diverse times and places and subjects together in one book?

It was actually the mortgage crisis that inspired me. That crisis brought to light the lack of ethics and morals not only in the banking world but also in the schools that produced graduates who would go on to run these banks.

2) Why do you think our minds are our most powerful tools in achieving success, and what stops us from achieving success?

In my opinion, and based on personal achievements and observation of others, when we set our mind toward a specific goal and know deep down that we can achieve it, we usually do.

What usually stops us from achieving success is self doubt, when our mind questions our ability.

Some people say they were successful because of a parent, teacher or other figure, but what those people do that inspires us is to put us into the right frame of mind, to believe in our self and our abilities.

3) What is the most important message you would like readers to take away from your book?

That the right frame of mind can make you soar higher than you thought possible.

Many of us never had a mentor who helped us eliminate self doubt or teach us the moral and ethical path. For those of us who go it alone, or need something more, the quotes in the book fill that void to give us that push we need or the moral compass to help steer us.

Success and Happiness – Quotes to Motivate, Inspire & Live By is available now for FREE DOWNLOAD at all online retailers.

Namaste!
Becca Chopra, author of The Chakra Diaries, Chakra Secrets, Balance Your Chakras-Balance Your Life, and The Chakra Energy Diet

www.theChakras.org
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Why is the Dalai Lama Always Smiling? #BookReview


screen-shot-2016-12-22-at-3-36-03-pmHow can the Dalai Lama always be smiling and full of love and forgiveness given what has happened during his lifetime to the Tibetan people? In Lama Tsomo’s encyclopedic introduction to Tibetan Buddhism, Why Is the Dalai Lama Always Smiling?: A Westerner’s Introduction and Guide to Tibetan Buddhist Practice, she answers this question in depth, having followed the same ancient traditions to find a new way of living for herself.

I now understand why and how the Dalai Lama, and the monks and people who were lucky enough to flee Tibet when the Chinese took over, did not suffer PTSD despite the horrors experienced, and were able to feel compassion for their persecutors.

Lama Tsomo offers a guide to Tibetan Buddhism with steps to build a meditation practice that will lead you to the same inner peace as the Dalai Lama. She starts with an interesting account of her own spiritual exploration, while going through two failed marriages and having three children. After a 25-year spiritual quest, she found the teacher who would offer a course of study for her spiritual enlightenment whom she trusted when she met Tulku Sangak Rinpoche.

Despite the fact that she feels any serious student of Tibetan Buddhism needs to study with qualified masters (retreats or total immersion worked best for her), she does provide sufficient background in the Buddha’s teachings along with techniques which can be tried on one’s own. These techniques are designed to help remove ego identification to allow our true nature of compassionate awareness to shine forth. It will take a lot of time and effort, but as the author asks, “Do I have something better to do?”

Lama Tsomo recounts scientific evidence that the meditation practices of Tibetan Buddhism can help one replace knee-jerk reactions to people and situations with more balance, constructive responses, and improve one’s focus, memory and mood. Instead of clinging to one’s small, separate self, even in times of misery, the seeker of enlightenment learns to see themselves as one with the vast ocean, the one great mind, and be motivated to help others with love and compassion.

The book includes an envelope of practice cards that you can use to build a daily practice and see if you are called to immerse yourself further in Tibetan Buddhism. If so, she offers numerous resources, including books, other media and websites.

This book is not one I could read straight through, but rather dip into and contemplate what I was learning a little at a time. While a glossy paperback with beautiful color photographs, at its heart, it is a serious textbook for those who want a guide to practicing Tibetan Buddhism.

It can be a bit overwhelming as a first introduction to Buddhism (even with the glossary), but for the serious student, this could be an invaluable guide on their path. If you think you’d like to start 2017 with a serious spiritual effort to achieve your own Buddha nature, reading this book could be a wonderful start.

Why is the Dalai Lama Always Smiling? is available in Kindle, paperback, Audible and in MP3 CD versions.

Namaste!
Becca Chopra, author of The Chakra Diaries, Chakra Secrets (FREE through Dec. 23), Balance Your Chakras-Balance Your Life, and The Chakra Energy Diet

www.theChakras.org

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“Happiness: The Key to Inner Sunshine” Review and Author Interview


For a complete handbook to achieving a happy life, I recommend Nicola Krystina Greene’s “Happiness: The Key to Inner Sunshine.” From ways to discover your inner sunshine, to ways to dissolve any blocks you have to happiness, Greene covers all the current wisdom on finding your inner light and letting go of negativity, fear, suppressed anger and hurt.

Despite your life circumstances, Greene shows you how to live a sunnier life right now by living in the moment, practicing meditation, and expressing your true self. One of the more beautiful ways she shares is how to reconnect with nature and find inspiration all around you. As a daily meditator, I also appreciated the powerful meditation techniques she teaches, including the Hong-Sau Meditation and Candle Flame Meditation.

Greene not only shares wisdom for the ages, but beautiful quotes from those who experienced happiness despite all odds. From Helen Keller: “Everything has its wonders, even darkness and silence, and I learn, whatever state I may be in, therein to be content.” And a Chinese proverb: “Tension is who you think you should be. Relaxation is who you are.”

Unhappiness only exists in the mind, writes Greene. So open your mind to the possibilities of a happier life. Anyone who puts her suggestions into practice will feel freer, more empowered, and definitely, happier.

Nicola Krystina Greene is a freelance writer in the U.K. who travelled the globe for 10 years meeting spiritual masters, healers and religious experts in search of greater joy and happiness. Here she answers my questions regarding the subject of happiness and her book:

Becca: What is happiness?

Nicola: Happiness is a deeply subjective personal experience and we each feel it and express it in unique ways. But it does have a universal aspect to it which is that it is related to our ability to feel our inner light.

That ‘inner sunshine’ sits within us, waiting to be unlocked, but is usually hidden behind the layers we create around us that imprison or dull that light – such as our fears, masks, and distortions. The more we free ourselves from false beliefs and learn to connect with our internal sunshine, then the more we experience our true selves, our connection with the Universe, and finally have the keys to lasting happiness.

Becca: Why do you think more people aren’t “happy?”

Nicola: Many people do not yet understand that happiness is not found in external objects, or in having specific events occur, and until they know where the real source of their happiness resides, they will always be seeking in the wrong places.

Along with this, today we live in isolated, artificial spaces and are less in tune with the healing rhythms of the outdoors and the natural world. Instead we have developed frenetic and technologically driven mechanical rhythms that create unbalance in our systems and biology.

Becca: Would you say, as others have, that our brains are wired more to remember trauma than happiness, so we have to work at being happy?

Nicola: It may be true that traumatic events are more easily remembered, and happiness is something we always have to work at. However, when we learn to re-program our thoughts and habits towards happiness and positivity (as shown in the book) then we may find that happiness comes progressively more easily and effortlessly.

When we practice happiness, we naturally attract more positive events to ourselves, and will even find that we experience challenging or traumatic times differently. As we learn to turn up the light inside us, raise our vibration, and centre our attention and consciousness within that inner light, then we develop a habit that will help us to more easily return to our happiness again.

Becca: What are the most common misconceptions about happiness?

Nicola: Perhaps the most common misconception about happiness is the idea that the feelings of joy we experience are caused by something that has happened outside of us – an event or action. However, we can ignite that same feeling simply by remembering an event or picturing a scene or that makes us happy, and this shows that the outer stimulus is not necessary, so we don’t even need the external event or person in order to feel happiness.

Becca: How can we train ourselves to have a positive outlook?

Nicola: There are great ways to train our brains to help us notice things that make us happy and get in the habit of deliberately thinking more uplifting thoughts. By using these techniques, and changing the neurological pathways in our brains, we can train ourselves to generate positive feelings more often than negative or pessimistic feelings. This way we begin to see things that make us joyful more often, helping us to become happier and happier!

Becca: What led you to write this book?

Nicola: When I was 18 I developed health issues that gradually became more debilitating over the years and which led to times of depression. I spent a decade travelling the globe looking for answers and healing, and along the way I met many amazing spiritual masters, shamans, psychic surgeons and gifted spiritual teachers who helped me to find my happiness again.

I gradually began to focus less on my health issues, and more on being happy now, learning to enjoy the beauty of each moment exactly as it is. I finally stopped reaching for happiness in the future, and got to where I could feel that everything is perfect in this moment, even during times of sickness or pain.

I began to feel so much joy that when people saw me they described me as ‘sunshine’ and that it made them happy to be around me. I knew that this was something I wanted to share, because all of us can feel that ‘sunshine’. So, I decided to write this book as a way to give back and pass on this wisdom.

Becca: What advice do you have for first-time authors who feel they have inspiration to share?

Nicola: The biggest tip I can offer is to focus on the feeling that you want to inspire in your readers. If you want them to feel happy then focus on happiness, or if you want to offer advice on overcoming fear, then focus on strength and empowerment.

The more strongly you engage with that feeling as you write, the more you will find that your words become energized and infused with that energy, and your writing will align more closely and powerfully with the message you are trying to convey. You have a specific energy and message that is unique to you, so when you write, allow your own unique expression to come through.

For more information, see www.innersunshineeffect.com.

Namaste!
Becca Chopra, author of The Chakra Diaries, Chakra Secrets, Balance Your Chakras-Balance Your Life, and The Chakra Energy Diet

www.theChakras.org

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Hardwiring Happiness Into Your Life


hardHardwiring Happiness by Rick Hanson, Ph.D., is about growing inner strengths through positive experiences. It applies the new findings of the brain’s neuroplasticity to our everyday contentment, peace and confidence.

According to Dr. Hanson, the brain has an ancient negativity bias – hardwiring dangerous and traumatic events into our brains for survival reasons. Human’s nervous systems have been evolving for millions of years, and solutions to survival problems faced by our ancient ancestors are still active in our brains today. To balance this bias, the book provides a simple method to put more focus on positive events to build more neural structures full of happiness. These provide inner strength to handle stress, heal psychological wounds, and improve your resilience and well-being.

It’s very good news that we can develop inner strength – we don’t need to be born with it. Because the brain takes its shape from what the mind rests upon, Dr. Hanson gives us techniques to rest our minds on good events and conditions, pleasant feelings, physical pleasure, and our good qualities, rather than hurts, worries and self-criticism. The effect will be strength and resilience hardwired into the brain, providing more optimism, a more positive mood and sense of self-worth.

In mere minutes each day, we can use Dr. Hanson’s four simple steps to taking in the good:

1. Have a positive experience.

2. Enrich it.

3. Absorb it.

4. Link positive and negative material.

You may have noticed, the first letter of each step produces the acronym HEAL. The first 3 steps focus on positive experiences to install them in your brain. The 4th step is optional, but powerful in using positive thoughts and feelings to soothe, reduce and potentially replace negative ones.

There are excellent guided visualizations and exercises in the book to experience the three important needs we all have – to feel safe, satisfied and connected. Anyone who chooses to do them will feel their heart chakras open, and fill with love. As Dr. Hanson says, “As you love in ways large and small, the effects will ripple outward to touch others both known and unknown, helping to bring both them and you home to happiness.”

Rick Hanson is a neuropsychologist and founder of the Wellspring Institute for Neuroscience and Contemplative Wisdom and affiliate of the Greater Good Science Center at UC Berkeley. He is also the co-author of Buddha’s Brain: The Practical Neuroscience of Happiness, Love and Wisdom.

Happy reading!

Becca Chopra, author of The Chakra Diaries, Chakra Secrets, and Balance Your Chakras, Balance Your Life

www.thechakras.org

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Free Secrets to Love and Abundance


If you’re interested in personal growth, I’d love for you to have a copy of my new book, CHAKRA SECRETS… FREE on Kindle from Sept 20-21.

Even if you DO NOT have a Kindle, you can easily download an Amazon app to read Kindle books on your computer, iPad or smartphone.

“Chakra Secrets… a compelling, sexy and often times educational read that details the ups and downs of Becca Chopra’s own personal story, as it weaves in her involvement with the chakras.”
~ Tom Rapsas, Elephant Journal

How do chakras affect my love and abundance?

Chakras are our energy centers that affect directly influence everything from our financial security, our sex life and self esteem to how we give and receive love, express ourselves and practice spirituality.

Thankfully there are many ways, from yoga and meditation to mind-body techniques, that we can use to help balance our chakras. In CHAKRA SECRETS, I share a “secret” Hawaiian mind-body technique that you can use anytime, anywhere, to instantly relieve pain and other problems, and strengthen your chakras — making you the best you can be.

How do you know if your chakras are in balance?

For example, if you are feeling insecure, it’s hard to have a good foundation for a relationship or profitable career, so you’ll want to strengthen your first or Root Chakra. If you feel needy, crave touch and sex and want to feel more passionate and creative, you should work on unblocking your second or Sacral Chakra.

All seven of the chakras have an impact on our lives. In CHAKRA SECRETS, I show how each of my chakras was blocked and share how I was able to move forward through chakra healing techniques that anyone can use to find love and happiness.

BALANCE YOUR CHAKRAS, BALANCE YOUR LIFE!

I hope you read and enjoy CHAKRA SECRETS. Download your FREE copy on Thursday or Friday, September 20-21, at http://amzn.to/RgxgS3.

Namaste!
Becca Chopra
www.thechakras.org

P.S. If you would like the companion video on how to perform the chakra healing technique I share, simply email me for a FREE link at Becca@thechakras.org.

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REAL INSPIRATION – FREE TODAY


Jennifer O’Neill is a psychic and spiritual teacher whose bio says she devotes most of her time to teaching people how to live a healthier, happier life. “Inspirational Quotes” does this so well, she can now relax while we all take advantage of the wisdom, the universal truths she inspires us with in this wonderful book.

Even if you read the book cover to cover, you’ll want to use the book as O’Neill suggests – turning to a page at random whenever needed for just the right message to help you believe in yourself and achieve happiness in your life.

The book’s overall message? That no dream is too big, life is easy and meant to be happy. The author presents Universal Laws, such as “Happiness is not bought, given, earned or learned – it is a state of mind based on your perspective. Happiness is simply a choice.”

There are many quotes on how to find happiness within yourself, your relationships, and in all you manifest in your life. And O’Neill inspires us to manifest greatness by following the Laws of Attraction, with quotes reminding us “…your thoughts send out energy waves. Want to know what you’ve been focusing on? Look around your life.”

I intend to use this wonderful book as oracle cards, to inspire me daily with just the right message to keep me on my path… a path that we’re all on, a path that O’Neill has beautifully laid out in this book.

For your free copy on Kindle, go to http://www.amazon.com/dp/B007BTRADI
Namaste!
Becca Chopra, author of The Chakra Diaries

www.thechakras.org

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Happy I Read This!


The Happy Place is part poignant memoir, part self-help. It’s a quick read, but can have profound long-term effects on your life. What Gosselin does so well in her book is to take the most recent neuroscience research confirming that the brain is capable of change, tell us how she changed her own brain circuits, and then simply explains how the reader can too.

Gosselin recounts how her expectations were creating her reality and how we’re all doing that every day. Once she realized that she was programming her mind with her “words” or “feelings” every morning, she learned to correct the negative programs she was running in order to lead a more happy, healthy and fulfilling life.

“Don’t live as if the present is the past,” she writes. Instead, check in with yourself every morning, asking “How do I feel?” Then she explains how to follow the feeling to its root – usually in childhood to the first time you felt this way. Once you become aware how your brain was “wired” early in childhood and became addicted to certain feelings, you can then choose a better feeling and change your words. Doing this every day for 28 days will rewire your brain, explains Gosselin, so it’s a good daily practice.

Taking Gosselin’s journey with her as she discovers why she is unhappy, or always feels second-best, and then dramatically changes her life by processing her own feelings, is very inspirational and can guide anyone along the same beautiful path.

The Happy Place is available on Kindle at Amazon.com.

Becca Chopra, author of The Chakra Diaries

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Run Toward A Happier Life


I was recently interviewed about my novel, The Chakra Diaries, and how the characters became “emotionally centered.” Balancing the chakras can definitely lead to greater emotional strength and help you live a happier life, as it did for my characters.

In addition to meditation, such as daily Chakra Meditation, there are three steps you can take to master your own emotions, the way to run toward a happier life.

1) First, see things as they are in your life now, and accept them.  Journaling or keeping a diary, as did my characters, is a great way to see the truth in front of your eyes.  Don’t see your situation as worse than it is, just the simple truth.

2) Believe that you have the power to change things.  In fact, see your situation as better than it is.  Have a vision for what you want in your life, a compelling future to strive for, a reason to get up in the morning.  Keep your eye on the prize.  Write your goals down in your journal, visualize having what you want during your meditations.

3) Move toward your goal in baby steps, achievable steps, one small move at a time to make your life the way you want it to be.  That way, you won’t scare yourself with fear of failure.  You’ll increase your self-confidence with every small success you experience as you make your life the way you see it – happy.  Be sure to write down every successful move you make in your diary and share the good news with others.

To listen to my free Chakra Meditation, which focuses on the emotions associated with each chakra, go to http://www.thechakras.org.

Namaste!
Becca Chopra, author of The Chakra Diaries

 

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Your Partner – Macho Mike or Weak Willie?


Dear Becca,

My new boyfriend Karl was very sweet and attentive on our first few dates, making me think that FINALLY I had met the one. But soon his high voice and tentative manner began to bug me. He could get his feelings hurt so easily – like when I told him to get over it when he complained that his rent controlled apartment was going coop. Other times he would practically beg me to come to bed, knowing that I had some important briefs I had to finish (not his) before the morning.

My last boyfriend was so macho and strong-willed, Karl just pales in comparison.

Becca, I don’t have to have a Val Kilmer, take-charge alpha male with a Barry White voice, of course, that would be nice, but….now I am the unsure one. Please help.
Signed, Julie in Joliet

Dear Julie,
Thanks for writing. My take on your situation is that Karl is just too feminine to fit your “macho man” needs. Maybe he wants you to wear the spurs rather than the other way around. My guess is that the men in your life, including your father, have had a preponderance of male energy and your man-puzzle is missing a few pieces with Karl. However, Karl’s foibles aside, you may need to balance your male and female energies to attract a man who will rock your world. Here are a few ways to do it:

Chant “OM” for several minutes to stimulate more male energy.

Focus on the color Blue which symbolizes the cool, logical male- visualize it, breathe it in, surround yourself with it, bathe in it, wear it out.

Sweep your hands outward from your sides toward the sky. Look up and invite the energy from above to flow into you.

Practice these energy balancing methods every day for a month and please let me know how you are doing. As always, I invite reader comment.

Namaste! Becca

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Chakras and Christianity, Health Benefits of Balanced Chakras, http://TheChakras.org, Separating Dreams from Reality, The Chakra Diaries, The Chakras and Relationships

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