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

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.

Too much on our plate gives us indigestion.

Speak or act with an impure [confused] mind And trouble will follow you As the wheel follows the ox that draws the cart. … Speak or act with a pure [clear] mind And happiness will follow you As your shadow, unshakable.

ease. As Sylvia puts it, “A moment of mindfulness is always a moment of freedom. We can have the courage to make choices that result in a positive difference for ourselves and others.”

When you let go of how you think things should be, you can respond to challenging situations with openness and flexibility, imagining options and alternatives that can’t arise in a contracted mind.

Keeping our hearts open in the face of suffering takes patience and practice. The Dalai Lama himself had to learn how to develop compassion. In Worlds in Harmony: Compassionate Action for a Better World, he says: Whenever I speak about the importance of compassion and love, people ask me: What is the method for developing them? This is not easy… Yo

This approach reminds me of another story about the wise fool Mulla Nasruddin. Mulla’s students find him one afternoon meticulously spreading bread crumbs around the perimeter of his house. After watching him for a while, one student finally asks him, “Mulla, why are you placing those crumbs like that?” Mulla responds, “To keep away the tigers.” Th

Engage one of your senses to return you to the moment. What do you see, hear, smell, or feel? You might listen to a favorite piece of uplifting music or take a relaxing hot bath. Let yourself sink into that experience. Imagine the frightened, sad, or confused part of you as a young child. How old is that child? Imagine holding him or her in a tende

Embracing the totality of who we are is not about loving only our goodness and disregarding the rest. And it’s not about being fond of just that part of us that is always sweet and kind. True love comes whole and unconditional. Loving the whole package means leaving nothing out. Unless we can do that, our love and joy are compromised. You might thi