I recently attended a luncheon and I heard one of the presenters at the podium make a profound statement. She said, "happiness is not a gift, it is a discipline."  It's true that stress is a man-made affliction. You don't see stress in nature, but you do see tension. Tension, for example, when a plant grows up through the rocks to reach the light. Plants will always grow to the light, over coming obstacles and barriers, no matter what. A seed completely destroys itself to break through the husk and sprout a stem that pushes through the crust of the earth. That plant is not "stressed" as it grows but it does meet tension in the sprouting process.

 

As humans our design is to have free-will. We are the only species on the planet to have this unique characteristic. We often take this gift for granted and don't  use our free-will to the greatest potential. We tend to limit ourselves by our personal rules and laws that box us in and keep us living small or staying stuck.

 

Many of us prioritize our day by our "should dos" rather than "I want to....." The minute we are motivated by the rules and laws that guide how we "should" be living we are opening the door to stress. Stress may trigger resistance, fear and the feeling that we have to be perfect to gain approval to fuel our self-worth either internally for our self or externally from our outer circle. For many of us this is the "Good Girl" Syndrome. (also "Good Boy" Syndrome for you brothers out there)

 

There is freedom when we break free from the rules, laws and should-dos that are motivating our priorities. What would it look like if your life was lived from 80% free-will and 20% the should-dos. What if you prioritize your day from the perspective of what really matters to you personally and not to be meeting the expectations of others? What if you prioritized what makes you truly happy as the focus for your day? To develop the discipline of happiness you need to be authentic with yourself first before you are authentic with others. It takes courage and commitment to yourSELF to train the happiness muscle.

 

I help my clients break free from the mindset that keeps them stuck in the rules and laws that are boxing them in so they can live more fully expressing what truly brings happiness and fulfillment. My programs support you to exercise your free-will muscle to create a stress resilient lifestyle so you can grow to the light, no matter what challenges and obstacles create tension in your life. 

Contact me today about my special offer at 602-363-5533 or sara@directions4wellness.com