THE BIG WANT

It seems (to me) everyones big want is simply to experience more and more happiness and genuinely good feelings.

Advertisers seem to know this,so they key all their products and services to trigger desirable emotional responses in us.

But the approach of 'buying' good feelings seems (to me) to be a fairly superficial and largely inefficient and ineffective way of getting the good feelings and happiness we want.

(to me) the money cost of happiness is next to nothing.,but just because it costs nothing in terms of money doesnt mean it is cheap.In fact,it seems to require the greatest price,or at least a price most seem unwilling to pay.

Happiness to me is an effect,and its cause lies within us. (to me) we cause ourselves happiness to the degree that we get certain of our 'inner ducks in a row'

We need to align ourselves with our highest values,our best concepts and intentions,and take actions that reinforce and maintain these.

What are the best thoughts you can have about yourself or another or your chances in life, you know them,but do your actions reinforce them,For example..Do you always think and act as if you are valuable and worthwhile.

If you reflect on your life or the lives of others,you may notice that happiness is not either or.Its not a matter that some are happy and some are not.Its more a matter of degrees.Some are not as happy or unhappy as others.But you may also notice that the degree of happiness rises as one attunes to what is best in them,Their best thoughts,best beliefs and best actions.

Happiness deals with something you dont grasp with your normal senses as much as you do with your wisdom,heart and your gut.

If you persist on focusing on the ideas and feelings of wellbeing,success,love,inner peace,purpose,health,ect,youll eventually crack through the barriers you have for these outcomes,and when you start feeling these feelings..the feelings begin to propel you in constructive directions AND they will attract the conditions and relationships that mirror them.Simply,when you consciously and purposefully begin to think better more and more of the time,THINGS GET BETTER.

Sometimes were looking in the wrong direction.We look outside of us to get what can only be had by better aligning with something inside us.Were focused on money,cars,relationships (or the lack of it) when we really need to be focused on our values:whats really important to us.Remembering our highest values we become inspired and right thought and right action--the kind that causes us happiness--flow from us effortlessly (or at least with much less struggle and strain)

Ive read many stories now,about people suddenly finding out they are dying with some terminal condition.After the initial shock,what some of them did,they re-focused their lives entirely,now,with so little time left,they took a serious look at what was REALLY important to them,and focused all their energies and time on these things.And also,they now knew that THERE WERE NO EXCUSES,they were going to make the time they had left meaningful NO MATTER WHAT.They werent going to wait for the 'right time' they didnt have that luxury.They werent going to wait until they had enough money or the right circumstances or the right relationship.They werent going to wait for others to approve of them before they approved of themselves.Again,they didnt have these luxuries,and they stopped blaming and complaining.What would be the point.They were going to make these last months,weeks or days meaningful and fulfilling,regardless of the apparent time limitations they now had.And they were able to give up the false limitations that governed much of their lives before.Somehow they were going to make the time they had left count for something,they were going to make themselves happy.

Somehow,we need to get to where we drop all our excuses,get past any guilt,shame or blaming,and live unconditionally.We need to free ourselves from a sort of self made prison:self imposed barriers to loving ourselves and feeling good about ourselves and life and whatever are the conditions of our lives.

I have this thing about FEELINGS.I think we are kidding ourselves when we say we dont make ourselves feel however we do.We tell ourselves things like..its our circumstances or how others treat or mis-treat us,that causes us to feel however we do.But its simply not true.We all cause our own feelings,mainly by how we look at things or how we look at ourselves.

If i say "your stupid" you dont feel bad UNLESS you BUY what i say.So,dont buy it.And dont buy it when YOU say your stupid...or unattractive or inadequate or unworthy or any other B/S. (you go to the store and dont want B/S,you dont buy B/S.So,if you have a thought,and dont like it,Dont buy it either,even if its on sale.HEY EVERYBODY!! STUPID,INADEQUATE AND INFERIOR,ON SALE TODAY...3 FOR THE PRICE OF ONE------- BAD DEAL,DONT BUY IT)

You want to feel loved and loving,happy and great about yourself and life and what the future holds,right,well then keep at it,remember what REALLY inspires you,comforts you and lifts your spirits and enlivens you and you will.

BLESSINGS.

[Cerulean]

Thank you for this post. I really dislike the way advertisers try to mess with our heads and this has been a pet peeve of mine for a long time. I have read that Mark Twain said, "Comparison is the death of joy," and I agree.

Your words on self love are very helpful to me.

Originally Posted by Cerulean

Thank you for this post. I really dislike the way advertisers try to mess with our heads and this has been a pet peeve of mine for a long time. I have read that Mark Twain said, "Comparison is the death of joy," and I agree.

Your words on self love are very helpful to me.

Thank you CERULEAN: Your GREAT,Thanks for sharing your thoughts :)

I just recently saw this, thought it very worth posting.

The fools equation:

WHEN I GET_________ THEN I'LL BE HAPPY (peaceful, content, grateful ect)

another amazing thread:) and ofcourse i agree i just love the things that you write about

THANKS KAMILA :)

Originally Posted by Robertj

Advertisers seem to know this,so they key all their products and services to trigger desirable emotional responses in us.
.

They aim (as they put it) is to "awaken latent desires" by tweaking people's minds in ways they just don't suspect - and probably wouldn't understand without a considerable knowledge of the semiotics.

One trick was started by Adam and Eve - still called the forbidden-fruit-effect: if you want people to crave something, tell them they can't have it.

Recreational spending makes people happy until the money runs out...it's an escape for most people. Consumerism is about making life and work feel worthwhile because they're given a little pocket money along with exhortations to spend because it's vital to the economy which will in turn make them even richer, so blab our politicians.

Unfortunately most people in the UK are up to their eyes in debt so the counterpoise to these brief bouts of happiness is a great deal of stress.


(I was once curious about how many standard "couples" without children in the household had dishwashers. It takes longer in total to wash up for two with a dishwasher by the time you've swilled the plates, pans etc, loaded them, washed them, unloaded them, inspected them etc. (A simple work-study exercise to prove that.) I had it pointed out to me that every TV ad for kitchen furniture had a dishwasher in view. The aim was to make the undishwahered feel it quite normal to have one. There are even single people out there with dishwahers).

[Jared.L]

Yes, I like your flow of thoughts. I do think that if you do not accept what they tell you, you can keep your own opinion about yourself. Buddha said that if you do not accept the 'gift' full of ****, it will stay with the person who brought it