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The Simple Secret To Wealth, Health And Happiness
One of the challenges of living in today’s fast paced, multi-tasking, don’t have time to smell the roses world, is that we miss the opportunity to see the miracles, the joy, the boundless good and the wealth, health and happiness that surround us.
We rush from one thing to the next with hardly a chance to savour any of it. Our successes pass us by in a blur.
We’re flicking through life as remotely as we do our television and we’re missing the point of the whole shooting match.
Have you noticed that as a society, material success, the search for wealth, health and happiness and instant gratification fill our airwaves and are in our faces on every magazine cover?
Life is full of winners and losers, based on someone else’s definition of what that is. And heaven knows we all want to be winners. Don’t we?
But what are we actually winning?
Each demand we respond to is really one we place upon ourselves and yes they might all seem to be vital to our life, after all that’s what we’re told on a daily basis. But this is how you and I reach saturation point. Lovingly called burnout.
Here’s a little secret if you have to convince yourself that this goal or that obligation is absolutely necessary when your inner self says otherwise, you should listen to your inner self. It knows best.
1.The simple secret to wealth, health and happiness
[Tweet “There is a simple secret to wealth, health and happiness…learn how to think.”]This is the one true secret, the one cause for making and maintaining your ideal life. You don’t need to be rushing around trying to be a winner based on someone else’s perspective.
Everyone simply wants to be happy. This underlies every desire we have, be it for greater wealth, health, relationships…anything.
Learning how to think is the key. No pressure, no rushing around, no missing out on the joys that exist every single day.
Learn to think of current experiences only in terms of happy outcomes.
Learn to concentrate on what you want.
Learn not to think from old events or conditions.
Learn not to complain, only to decide what you’d rather have.
Learn to choose your thoughts wisely.
Learn to remember there is no power outside of you at work in your life.
Learn to take care of the inner things and the outer will take care of itself.
Learn that persistent thinking in one direction will take you there.
Learn to more often see others experiencing the best and it will soon appear for you.
Learn that now is the time to feel happy and to be aware of joy.
[Tweet “For as long as you can think, you can change your experiences.”]2. Assumptions
Recently I was looking at someone who, in the old days I would have believed, needed to change and yes, sad to say, I would have worked on them thinking the world would be better if they would be different.
Well, at least my world would be. And yes, I know that’s pretty cringeworthy…just keeping it real my darlings.
Today I’m looking at my reactions and recognizing that I’m not totally awake since I have an old mechanical, automatic, reaction that needs to be changed. Me that has to change…not the other person.
I don’t want to experience the fruits of that state, I don’t think they’d be sweet enough for me, and I have a super deluxe sweet tooth!
So I’m choosing to control my thoughts, and allow only those that conform to my ideal to flow from me, knowing that my world will reshape itself in harmony with any new thought I have, provided it’s a thought connected to a feeling.
Each time an old thought enters, instead of dwelling on it, I say to myself it’s just a thought and instantly the power it had dissipates and I can get back to my new, more lovely way of thinking.
I can’t keep these old reactions and move into a new and higher state containing all the things I desire.
The person I desire to be, the ideal me that I have in mind, can’t be brought about without a change in my reactions to life. If I’m faithful to this ideal my reactions will fit in perfectly so I know I’m on the right track. If my reactions aren’t in harmony with this ideal then all I’m doing is thinking of it and it becomes a pointless exercise.
That’s not the kind of thinking that creates anything new. Thinking as though I already were the person I wanted to be, the one who had what I wanted to have, is the only way.
Our very expectations of something, be it something we desire or not, is an act of creation. So I need to expect the best and that means keeping my thinking focused on experiencing only the best. As defined by me, of course. Your best might be something entirely different.
As my old friend Neville says “I have assumed that I am the man I want to be. I am still assuming that I am he, and I will continue to assume that I am he until that which I have assumed is objectively realized.”
There’s no other way folks. We all need some stick-to-it-ness for it to work.
Meanwhile we need to simply…
3. Live authentically
If living a life that’s full of wonder and authenticity, of delirious happiness and joy, filled to the brim with meaning and purpose in a way that resonates with your heart and soul is what you desire then I challenge you to learn how to think.
Because living a passive life, without inner direction just won’t do the trick.
I’d love to hear from you in the comments below: talk to me.
I wanna know how’s your thinking going? Do you have any super tips or practices that keep you on track to thinking the best thoughts possible?
Being specific really helps, and remember, your shares and stories support us all.
As always, thank you for reading and sharing!
Encourage one another.
Love Elle
xoxo
Hi Elle,
Lovely post. This line caught my attention – “Because living a passive life, without inner direction just won’t do the trick.” All too often life does go buzzing by without us taking a break to “smell the roses.” For me meditation helps, quiet walks with the dog and pacing myself. Thanks for the wonderful reminder.
Meditation works for me too Cathy and the idea of a walk with a dog is lovely. No dogs here for now…so it’s a walk with the birds in my case. Always appreciate your input. 🙂 Thanks for sharing.
I liked everything you’ve said,however I don’t necessarily agree with the following line…..”Learn to remember there is no power outside of you at work in your life.”..
.From my personal experience I have chosen to believe that there is a”A power greater than our selves” some may call it God, Spirit, The Great Mystery,the Flow ,the Cosmic flow, the Universe,The One, The Being…Great Spirit,The Life force, it has many names.
In my experience it seems to when I’m not resisting the flow, and applying the principles you stated above,Life is much easier,and Great or greater things happen.
I actually feel myself being pulled by this flow or power,or energy,of life.
I agree absolutely with everything else you’ve written above.
Have a great day.
Welcome Stan and thanks for taking the time to share your thoughts. I totally respect your choosing to believe in a power outside of yourself. In the past I would have said that you were giving your power away by choosing that belief…these days I believe that if you want to make that choice and it makes you happy that benefits us all. Personally, I embrace the belief that God, Spirit, the Universe dwells within me, within us all. It seems we’re both on the same journey and our paths are filled with Love and Light. 🙂
I agree with you Elle that God lives within us. God outside of us relieves us of responsibility of our own actions. If meditation or controlling our thoughts don’t work…after we try them for 3 days….we can always blame GOD “out there.” When He is seen as within us, we have the opportunity to say…”Well I guess I need to let Him in more fully,” and get back at it!
HI Elle – Yes, we do have to step back and think sometimes so we don’t make the same mistake twice. And learning allows us to acquire and improve our life. With experience comes wisdom and knowledge but we have to step back sometimes to let it all sink in. I also appreciate hearing about how you’re not so concerned about how the outer external world and people are. We can’t change that but we can change our perspective which can change everything:) Change within ourselves is the other secret to happiness:)
Nice to see you Vishnu, as always with your insightful perspective. As you say a change in our own perspective alters the whole experience. Gotta love the way it works. 🙂
Elle –
All that you say is so true. I appreciate your personal share about judging others – it is always about ourselves, isn’t it? That’s where the work is. Yesterday, I had the urge to watch ‘ What In The Bleep Do We Know?’ Even after viewing it several times, I still feel like the movie ignites a powerful force in me….
xxoo-Fran
P.S. Love your new larger, font. Much easier on these eyes of mine!
So true Fran, it is always about us. I’ve never actually seen that movie, but I’ve heard great things about it and how fantastic is that, it ignites a power within. Wow, that’s a great testimonial. Has the font changed? I didn’t know…must be my little techie Angel at work. 🙂
Oh Fran! “What the Bleep” is one of my all-time favorites! Love the longer, “Down the Rabbit Hole” version too. It has the same powerful effect on me, getting me to question all the given’s in life and know that anything is possible. It’s only our beliefs that limit us.
I’ll have to watch it again tonight!
Hugs!!
Hi Elle,
Life long learning has it’s advantages … as long as you are learning the right stuff. Finding the right answers is an adventure all in itself … both frustrating and fun.
Be good to yourself
David
David, how lovely you stopped by and shared your wisdom. Always glad to hear your points of view. Life is one blooming adventure isn’t it. 🙂
Elle,
I love the “10 Things To Think” that you listed. Particularly the one about learn not to complain but think of what you want to have. Yes, we often slip up on that one and complaining produces nothing but stomach acid, rapid heart rate and unhappiness. Good post, dear friend.
You always make me laugh Dore. Stomach ache and rapid heartbeats…never thought about it quite that way…but it’s a great point and a reminder that our body is absolutely affected by the thoughts and feelings we entertain. 🙂
Hi Elle,
I appreciate your concept of “sticking to it”.Because “stick- to -itiveness” will do a lot of good to all of us.This is what we call FOCUS and that stands for Follow One Course until Successful.
This is where the vital aspect f wrong assumptions comes in.They distract us and we end up making wrong judgments,which keeps us from achieving our goals.
The best way to keep your focus is t remain calm under all circumstances.Let all issues be minor issues,remain happy.Resolve to be happy first,and then do things.Instead of seeking happiness after doing things.
Thanks
Mona
It’s the reversibility thing in action Mona. For a long time electricity was produced by friction without ever a thought that friction could be produced by electricity. So if you knew how you’d feel when you’d accomplished your goal/desire, then inversely feeling the feeling produces the goal. Pretty cool stuff and thanks for reminding us all. 🙂
Hi Elle,
Your blog could be the only one a person needs to ever read! Your message is so inspiring. I’ve just recently read new research that says it’s better to visualize yourself taking the next step and the outcome you want than it is to visualize the end result. Do you know anything about that?
I’m living my life at a deeply authentic level one day at a time:) In fact I’m putting this on an index card so my big fat ego doesn’t get in the way. xo
I know something about those big fat egos Tess…they need taking down a peg or two!
I haven’t read the research so I’m not sure what it’s all about, but I will say on the surface that the challenge for me with the idea of seeing yourself taking the next step is this: Our outer world is produced by our inner consciousness. For example if we took all the money in the world and doled it out equally to everyone, before too long it would be back in the hands of the ones who had it in the first place.
Why?
Consciousness. So what has to be changed is our consciousness. And we do that by seeing ourselves as the person who is experiencing their new circumstances…and that leads us to take whatever steps were necessary to accomplish that.
If we’re trying to work out the steps from our current consciousness, we can only keep repeating what we have.
We actually interfere with the delivery system…the ways and means of delivery is in much more capable hands than ours (thank you Lord!).
I think people get confused about this, thinking they have to sit on their bums and do nothing. Not so. We continue to go about our business in the usual way, viewing our life from the new perspective we’ve chosen to experience and the steps and actions required to put it all together happen naturally.
If I don’t find myself thinking new thoughts and feeling the need to do something I haven’t done before, or do something I have done before but in a new way…then I know I’m not yet in my new state of consciousness. So I persist.
Phew, sorry to make that so long winded…
And I wanted to say thank you for being in my corner and being soooo supportive and that I’m truly happy you are living live in such a deeply authentic way.
You are making the world a more beautiful place Tess. 🙂
Thanks for the looong answer. I think you need to turn it into a post;) It makes sense. They all most had me fooled with their scientific research and all. Do you make vision boards? Why or why not?
T.
Funny Tess, someone else said that too about I should write a post about it! As to vision boards, short answer this time. Yes I’ve used them, no I don’t have one going right now. In the beginning it was a training aid…I needed a reminder since my mind wasn’t accustomed to going where I wanted it to go. Through some years of practice I’m much better at keeping my thoughts, generally, in the direction of my choosing. But I still think they’re a great idea. Anything that supports focus on what we want, I’m all for. 🙂
With mindfulness, I’ve become much more aware of the subtle thinking/feeling that I experience each day that’s the same old reactions you’re talking about Elle. When I’m not getting closer to things I want, I had the insanely useless habit of continuing to do what I was doing but bigger and stronger (and getting the same old result).
Now I ask myself “why” I’m doing what I’m doing. This shifts me from the “what” or the concrete thing I think I want to the “why” of why I’m wanting that thing in the first place.
Example: Pushing, stressing and striving to make more money in a variety of ways (the “what”). Why am I doing this? I’m not living on the edge financially so I’m doing this to bring a little more happiness into my own life and the lives of others. Oh. Well then, let’s forget about the money and focus on the things I love to do that bring more happiness to everyone. And those kinds of things never have any stress associated with them. So I relax, smile and focus on the things I enjoy that bring happiness and remind myself that there’s no schedule to keep, no deadlines to meet (unless I decide to make some up for myself). That tense ball of “oh no, I have to…” in my gut melts and life is a whole lot better.
You made me laugh Paige, because I recognize the doing something bigger or stronger and expecting stuff to change. We’re funny creatures us humans. What a super insightful comment and thank you for taking the time to share your practices…I know they’ve made a difference to our global community. 🙂
I enjoyed reading your article. thank you
I wrote this today, which I shared on facebook:
Don’t suffer now, and you don’t suffer ever.
See how frightened you become by projecting your pain onto the future.
Even if you’ve been suffering consistently in the past, can you absolutely know that it’s going to persist?
Nothing you think is true (in an absolute sense), yet ‘what you think’ is your only point of reference as to how to respond to what you experience.
Can you imagine you would have a different internal response towards what is going on if you knew that nothing you think is certain or true ?
Welcome Phillipe and thank you for your contribution to our conversation…and really enjoyed your perspective…it reminded me of something Bob Proctor used to say during his coaching sessions…the facts are always changing so don’t tie yourself to them. 🙂
Once again you hit everything spot on, Elle! Thanks for the continued inspiration!!
Thank you Betsy for stopping by – I know this must be a very busy time of year for you…the start of a new school year. I would think you would be voted favourite teacher of the year, if there were such a vote. 🙂
Yes Elle, we all do want to be happy and have a joyful life, what came to me as i read this was that everyone’s happiness is different and it is choice we make as to what happiness path we walk down. Like you i see people who i feel i can help have joy and happiness, first i have to discover if they are ready for my guidance. I go to my happy place the beach when i feel blue or out of sorts
thanks for asking
love
Suzie xx
So true Suzie, we have different definitions for it all, joy, happiness, success and I love the thought of your happy place on the beach. Thanks so much for sharing your wisdom…you know how much I love your site. 🙂 It truly is a happy place for me to visit.
Very interesting block. This influenced me a lot. I think the secrets of wealth, Health & happiness is success. I like the learning how to think. I think the ways of learning are very useful ones for a human being.
Thank you Mark…so glad you stopped by and shared your thoughts. 🙂
Hi Elle,
Great post! How true that the way we think is the key to what we want in life. I have been trying to consciously live my life with more gratitude. Being grateful for the people in my life, my health, my surroundings, the food I eat, etc does make make me feel happier and realize that what I desire is what I have!
Thanks,
Sara
Welcome to the conversation Sara..and thanks for sharing your insights. How lovely that what you already have what you want. I’m so with you on the gratitude concept…in fact my latest affirmation is I’m deeply grateful for all the joy, love and abundance in my life, and it evokes wonderful feelings in me, so I know of what you speak…so to speak. 🙂
One could write an essay on each of the ten points above and perhaps construct an argument against one or two but the overriding truth is; ‘For as long as you can think, you can change your experiences.’ but not by trying; simply by observing a better way, abandoning the bad and being open to the new.
I am a recently retired Social Worker. I am working on living more mindfully, or as you say with purpose. I find your articles to be encouraging, enlightening and sometimes funny. Your words remind me of the importance of self-love, the futility of worry, the importance of speaking with love and respect, and the joy I feel learning to forgive my own anger. I have recently read “No Mud, No Lotus” by Thich Nhat Hanh and am currently reading “anger”. I find his words humbling yet very empowering. He says, and I quote “Peace begins with you”. His work inspires me to learn, grow, and live mindfully with gratitude.
Wow Elaine I love what you have to say. What a wonderful state of consciousness you are operating in…and I think I need to get No Mud, no Lotus and read it. It makes perfect sense to me. 🙂