Worry vs. Bliss

As humans, it seems as if we are programmed to worry. We are taught from early ages to be afraid of negative possibilities of what could happen, or what might happen if certain negative circumstances came together. I wonder, what is the benefit of such a past time? Worry is simply having concern about something that not only has not happened yet, but may not ever happen. Worry does not prepare us for the worst, as we may tell ourselves. Worry only creates "negative energy", or angst, that according to the Law of Attraction, makes the negative circumstance that we want least more likely to show up where we don't desire it. Worry actually is more likely to attract to us exactly what we don't want.

So, worry has no use in our lives. The more we can learn to let go of fears of what has not materialized, and live focused on the present, the lighter, more enjoyable we allow our lives to be. I am all for allowing more joy and freedom from fear into my life. After all, less fear, more joy and freedom - leads to ... bliss.

Expect Bliss

Ever notice how sometimes we prevent or stop ourselves from getting too happy about the possibility something we really want or hope for might come true? I remember when I was growing up, my mother used to caution me about getting excited over possibilities. She was afraid of my disappointment if something did not work out as expected. Now I have come to learn that I must expect good things, positive circumstances to purposely direct them into my life.

Living purposely with bliss is learning how to direct my intention into achieving exactly what I want. I do this by alligning myself with my desire, and expecting it to happen. I allow myself to be excited and happy about what I am about to make happen, and I expect it into being. This is manifesting on purpose. We are always manifesting, whether it is what we want or not. But when we learn how to use intention to bring about what we desire, that too, is part of living in bliss.

Life Changes vs. Continuity, and Bliss

It is much easier to be blissfully content when life is traveling along expected pathways. But what about when it doesn't, and we find ourselves in unexpected (and uninvited) confusion and disarray? As any human being - or living organism for that fact, we prefer predictability, and are most comfortable when environments remain unchanged. But lack of change also invites stagnation and prevents one from growing. So change, as uncomfortable as it is, breeds strength in forcing us to grow creatively in becoming adaptable. The more change there is around us, the more we are forced to expand in our growth. And while we are growing, we are blossoming, which is the opposite of dying. So change is necessary for life; our goal is to learn to find fun in the the challenges of living. And in that...lies bliss.

Spirituality and Bliss

Sooner or later the subject of bliss links back to spritituality. I believe this is because spirituality, which I will define as a feeling (more than a belief) of closeness with a Higher Consciousness greater than our own, gives one a feeling of connectedness and interconnectedness with those around them. This feeling of connectedness makes one feel not only part of a whole, but part of something worthwhile, which brings greater meaning to life. By giving ourselves permission to live full and enjoyable lives, I feel we are fulfilling a higher meaning in life, and that gives me comfort. I firmly believe and love that life is supposed to be fun! And yes, that too, leads me to bliss.

Positive Attitude to Bliss

Bluntly put, times are rough right now. The economy is still tumultuous, jobs are at a low, people are hurting. My life is no different, where I feel like I am just hanging in there by a thin thread.... But I have learned attitude is everything. I can focus on my upsets, or I can focus on possible solutions - and how I can be of service to others. In the middle of what feels like catastrophe, this can feel counter-intuitive, but I have found it to work, every time.

It seems to land back to that 'theory' about attraction: what you focus on and give energy to definitely does expand. So when the the winds of turbulence are blowing my way and all around me, I am learning to take a deep breath, smile, and turn my focus elsewhere, almost make believe, if it comes to that - seeing myself where I want to be, let go, trust (after all, it's out of my hands already) - and move forward based on that inner trust. It's amazing how every time, things progress in my direction, with the most amazing new twists I could have never otherwise orchestrated on my own. Bigger and better. This too, is bliss.

Blissful Expectations...

We are usually happy, no matter how briefly, when we receive that which we desire. There is an art to attracting what we want. The fact is, we are always attracting things to us - situations, experiences, people. The trick is to learn how to attract what we desire... and nothing else (namely the undesireables). I have been learning through study and experience that how I think bears rather significantly on what shows up in my life. I have found my thoughts are like magnets - the positive thoughts bring more of the same, as does the negative. When attempting to attract some thing or experience, I have found that part of the key to manifesting what I want is hold the expectation in mind that I will actually receive it.

A case in point: My husband and I had decided to spend a weekend visiting a health spa. I invited a girlfriend to come along for the trip, but she did not have immediate funds to pay for a weekend at the spa with such short notice. So she thought she would test her manifesting skills by putting out (to the Universe) that she needed the money to show up in order for her to attend. The day before we were to leave, she showed a friend some designs she had made for business cards and websites. The friend was planning on starting a new website for a new business venture - and wanted her designs. The friend offered to pay her way to the spa in exchange for preliminary work! Unfortunately, my girlfriend had not actually prepared because she had not fully expected to go away that weekend; she had not discussed going away with her boyfriend, who had already made plans for them for that weekend. As a result, even though she had manifested the funds to go to the spa that weekend, she was unable to enjoy the weekend with us.

Expectation is powerful. We can use it as another tool for achieving what we want, which ultimately leads us to ... bliss.

Authenticity of Self Leads to Bliss?

Today I was on another webinar on which the focus was on creating wealth and happiness. The main thrust that impacted me was the importance of being authentic, true to our selves and our own very unique DNA to utilize the gifts we were born with to create our place in the world, our passion. Instead of trying to create what we believe others want, we need to discover who we are, and present that - our own authentic self.

It makes me reflect how I have been discovering me and who and what I truly represent over the past year. To my chagrin, I had found myself not succeeding in the ways I thought I might succeed if I became more this, like that successful person, or learned to develop skills that were more difficult to me. Finally, in the last several months, I simply let go of the expectations of becoming successful the in the way others have, which did not match what flowed easily within myself, and just sat back and listened to my inner self. I realized that instead of following my long-time dream, I had been following a business model I hoped would be successful for me as it had been for others. Now as I sit and put focus on the true me - I realize what seemed to be obvious right in front of my face, but somehow failed to see. In doing so, I finally give myself permission to be me, live my passion... authentically... and yes, this to, gives me bliss.

Success and Bliss

Most people strive to be successful in life. But what exactly is success and how do you get there? Today I listened to an internet conference with Chris Howard, who at one point stated, "You're successful at what you focus on." That's a great point. I find that I do tend to improve upon what I continuously focus on, be it positive or negative. I have found intention and focus goes hand in hand. When I make an intention, I must focus on that intention for it to happen. However, if I only focus on the end product, I tend to miss all the parts in between. So, another point I learned from Chris today is to learn to love the steps in the process to the end result. Success (or the lack of it) is in the choices we make each moment, which culminates to the end result. Each moment is an important piece of the whole (end result). So the secret to success is in the now.

Life is an accumulation of moments, which brings the focus to the now and present. Success usually is about being happy and enjoying life. What I have come to realize is that if I want an enjoyable life, I need to start by enjoying the moment. I make it my goal to several times each day to stop and focus on the present moment, and enjoy it, for in the end, it's the moments that count.

Living in Bliss

It is rewarding to know how to live in continuous bliss, but obviously for most of us, this is difficult to do. Right now we are living in highly changing times, times that are going through continuous flux leaving many of us feeling disconcerted and uncertain. I have found it helpful to bring my focus inward to the things for which I feel gratitude. I have gratitude for my continued health, for having a supportive partner in my spouse, and I have gratitude for thus far being able to pay the mortgage and all our bills.

I can feel the changes in the energies around me, and I am learning to let go of believing I am in control (because that is a big delusion!)- of my surroundings, my life - and just sit back and enjoy the ride. I am learning to each day look for small things to find enjoyement, and with these, stay within an equilibrium within myself, something akin to bliss. For me, bliss is about finding a balance within myself, which starts with a gentle acceptance, that while things may be far from perfect, I always have a choice. I can look for and focus on the positive points in each situation - or not. That choice can lead me to my bliss.

Bliss Defined

Blissology is quite obviously the study of (and hopefully the subsequent experience of) bliss. But what exactly is bliss?

Bliss could be argued as the state of happiness, regardless of whether that emotion is derived from physical circumstances (I just went on the date of my dreams, I bought my dream car, finally found love, got that promotion…), or comes from within, in the deeper philosophical sense: walking down a quiet nature path and feeling a deep happiness welling up from within as I appreciate the beauty of life…. However, the feeling of bliss based upon immediate surrounding circumstance, while briefly uplifting and satisfying in the moment, is transient, hard to contain, and similar to a puff of smoke in its staying power. Sometimes it can be outright frustrating in attempting to pursue the experience of that precise feeling, and it can lead one to an equal “downward” feeling, when that bliss feeling dissipates like morning dew in the shining sun.

So for the purpose of stability, bliss will be defined here as a state of being in contrast to present outward experience. One can definitely have blissful experiences… but here will be discussed on how one can pursue the semi permanent blissful state of being-ness- which is not as difficult as one might first believe. One does not need to be in a deep transcendental meditative state, or spend years studying and doing without, or learn about altering body states in terms of physical being and temperatures or the like. Obtaining a state of bliss is simply about experiencing appreciation. We all can do that! It’s all about taking time to notice yourself in the moment, feel your alive-ness, and appreciate where that alive-ness originates from: the simple beauty of a flower unfurling in a garden pot; a bird singing; children laughing; the sun twinkling off a glass in the kitchen sink, casting rainbows around the room; or being able to enjoy a shared moment with someone close. One might call bliss the state of being that allows us to step outside of our busy lives and notice- and appreciate- the important small things that makes life worth living. And when we hold these moments of appreciation in front of us more and more often, we begin to notice a certain wellness of joy rising from the heart. Maybe there is a smile, maybe there isn’t. But there is a definite lightening of spirit, as everyday life falls into proper prospective, and we begin to remember why we are really here.