Do you want to write a thesis, but can’t find the time? Do you want to get A’s, but fall flat? Even worse, do your shortcomings spark guilt?
When we don’t achieve our goals, the fault may lie less in us, and more in our systems. And one tweak to our system can lead to success.
But first, here’s some background: last night, I dreamt I forgot to feed over twenty pets. In that dream, I opened a door to find a roomful of dead dogs. I also found pups barely alive, chewing on scats. When I woke up, I felt guilty. But I wondered, “Where did this subconscious guilt stem from?”
The answer was housecleaning, of course. This guilt has tugged over the past two weeks?ever since I stopped hustling fifteen-minute cleaning spurts. I opted for two-hour stints instead. But when those two-hours approached, I stared, stunned, at the mess. I would flee to the couch and vouch to clean later. But later never came. I called myself lazy. I wondered what illness fizzled my muster. I fretted over the folks who joked about shipping me to a German cooking-and-cleaning school.
But then I returned to doing fifteen-minute cleaning spurts. One small tweak led to success. The same amount of cleaning was getting done, but a simple choice in how I went about doing it changed it from being nightmare inducing to just part of the routine.
Similarly, one small tweak can give you endless happiness. How? Michael A Singer, in his book Untethered Soul, reveals how you can claim 24/7 joy:
– You can have unconditional happiness. The first step? Want it.
– You are meant to enjoy life and learn from experiences. So, doesn’t it make sense to choose happiness?always? You do have that choice.
– The greatest teacher resides in the choice to always feel happy. With constant happiness, you’ll learn everything possible about yourself, others, and life.
– When you start feeling unhappy, change your thoughts. Use affirmations. Meditate. Relax your heart. Feel the life energy flow freely through you?like it does when you feel your happiest.
– don’t ever close your heart. Closing your heart stops your energy from flowing freely?like it does when you feel angry. You have the choice to stay open.
– When you keep your heart open, you handle troubles more easily. You see troubles for what they truly are?without worries muddying reality.
– By keeping your heart open, you’ll undergo heightened spiritual growth.
– You have a limited life span, so choose to enjoy it. don’t waste it.
So, now that you can choose happiness, study. If you delay two-hour study stints, try fifteen-minute spurts. And if someone ships you to a German cooking and cleaning school, give the dog a bone.
