Awakening Joy: 10 Steps That Will Put You on the Road to Real Happiness

LABELING TO CALM THE MIND Researchers in the Brain Mapping Center at the UCLA School of Medicine made a significant discovery about the value of using words to label fearful circumstances. When subjects in an experiment were shown faces with expressions of anger or fear, the fear centers in their brains showed increased blood flow, indicating that

In the early 1970s, a remarkable little book came out—The Lazy Man’s Guide to Enlightenment by Thaddeus Golas. One of the many points that rang true for me was Golas’s idea of “expansion and contraction” in describing various states of mind. He said: “We experience expansion as awareness, comprehension, understanding.” In contrast, “contraction is

In Buddhist practice the actions and attitudes associated with well-being are called “wholesome,” because they help us feel healthy and whole, and they contribute to the well-being of everyone and everything around us.

The stories that limit you or free you are really all in your mind, and you can change them. I often give students a “prescription” to help in the process. Sometimes I write it down on a piece of paper and suggest they carry it in their wallet. “Whenever you find yourself getting reactive, withdrawn, or confused,” I tell them, “remember that you ha

Seeing Yourself with Love Bring to mind someone who genuinely loves you. Imagine yourself as that person, and look at yourself through his or her eyes. What qualities do you see in yourself from that perspective? Pause a few moments to fully take in what you see. Now shift your perspective back and feel what it is like for you to have those qualiti

It’s like pressing “Clear” on a calculator; no matter how complex the numbers have gotten, once you press that “C” button you have a fresh start.

He answered: “My sincere motivation is my protection.” Later when I asked him how it is possible to remain calm and balanced in threatening situations, he gave the same answer: “My sincere motivation is my protection.”

THE FRAGRANCE OF MORALITY “In Buddhism we talk about the fragrance of morality. It means that when you practice integrity, it’s almost like you have an extraordinary divine scent around you, and you magnetize everything you are searching for—all

Your ability to love yourself evolves as you evolve, but when you finally love yourself, you have passed a watershed point in your spiritual practice. You no longer are trapped in looking to others to prove that you are okay. When you are unhooked from that need, you can simply open to the love coming your way from others without feeling unworthy o