through the right lens-finalI have a book that has come out called Lunchtime Joy Magnet. It’s about ways to increase your joy and positivity. Why did I want to start with that topic? Because, as adults, we get to a point where we accept our moods, our emotional triggers, our ways of being in the world as just “who we are.”  We think, “Oh this is just the authentic me.”

That’s easy to say. It’s easy to be — certainly predictable.  Act and think in the same ways you have for years and years and net a reality to which you’ve grown conditioned to accept. However uncomfortable, boring, stressful or unsavory the outcomes, they are familiar, expected, those to which you feel accustomed. If any of this sounds close to home, don’t feel singled out. It is human nature to catalog experiences, label things, absorb the beliefs, reactions and biases of those we know and have known throughout our lives. We become fixed sets of well-rehearsed subconscious subroutines.  It’s no biggie! But, those learned behaviors aren’t who we are authentically.

Who we really are, beyond the programmed responses, beyond the ego-enslaved mind, beyond the memories that help us track time, is a soul signature that is one-of-a-kind. Not one-in-a-million, not rare, we’re talking truly never duplicated in the history of the universe. That is how special you are. That is how special your life is.

Learning to drop the programmed responses and negative thought patterns, and living fully in each moment (not from memory) – that is where true authentic happiness lives. Becoming consciously aware of your thoughts, your ego mind and areas within yourself that need healing and loving attention, this is the journey to true self. And, it is a delicious ride! There are many scientifically-based techniques now to help us reshape a positive mind, filled with positive thoughts, inner peace, and authentic happiness for a better life experience. The methods in my book are simple, fun and easy to incorporate into your daily life. We live in such a great time now where researchers are studying and handing us the keys to a higher baseline of happiness. What is better than taking responsibility into our own hands for our life experience?

So, that’s why I wrote the book. I can’t tell you how different my mind is now compared to fifteen years ago. With practices and conscious awareness, there is peace, there is joy, and there is always different ways to perceive a situation. You can choose the lens through which you perceive your life, and it will never be gray again. Blessings!

Sandra M Bell
Author of “Lunchtime Joy Magnet” & personal coach