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\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 Take a minute or two and write down what you believe makes you unhappy.\u00a0 Life altering events such as a traumatic childhood, sexual assault or cancer diagnosis may leap to mind first but also include ongoing disappointments such as a nasty boss or loneliness. Don\u2019t forget everyday annoyances like bad drivers or computer glitches.\u00a0 Big or small, include anything that comes to mind.<\/p>\n
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Look over the list and make sure it is a fair representation of your disappointments, betrayals, misfortunes and challenges. Conventional wisdom suggests these are the causes of your unhappiness. They are not. If a Genie made the entire list disappear, by tomorrow there would be a new set of frustrations and regrets.<\/p>\n
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No event or circumstance can cause unhappiness.\u00a0 They are neutral:\u00a0 A tree feel, a lump appeared, someone died. To paraphrase Eleanor Roosevelt,\u00a0 you have to give something permission to make you feel bad. Experiences have no meaning until you decide they do.\u00a0 These decisions made consciously and unconsciously all day, determine whether you are happy or not. Therefore, the cause of all unhappiness is the mind.<\/p>\n
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Since the mind is the cause, the solution is mastery of the mind\u2019s continuous flow of judgements, assessments and thoughts. Like a demanding toddler, the mind has something to say about everything all day, every day.\u00a0 It likes, dislikes, wants, doesn\u2019t want, is afraid, angry, jealous, insecure or stuck on something you don\u2019t want to think about. It\u2019s nature is to take over. Yackity, yack, yack it goes with no ability to take your best interests into account. The mind\u2019s reactions control you unless you control them.<\/p>\n
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Fortunately, the mind is manageable but mind regulation is not for the faint of heart. Few thoughts are neutral so all must be monitored and corrected. Every fear, anger, frustration, guilt, disappointment, judgment and longing cannot pass through unchallenged. They are the result of the mind choosing distress rather than serenity. Watch your mind for 5 minutes and you will discover dozens of them. Are you ready to take them on?<\/p>\n
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\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 Take a minute or two and write down what you believe makes you unhappy.\u00a0 Life altering events such as a traumatic childhood, sexual assault or cancer diagnosis may leap to mind first but also include ongoing disappointments such as a nasty boss or loneliness. Don\u2019t forget everyday annoyances like bad drivers or computer glitches.\u00a0…<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":619,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[1],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-171","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-uncategorized"],"yoast_head":"\n