And,
guess what? The next day, I went for a drive up into the Santa Cruz
mountains, and overlooked the Bay Area views. These were views available to
me at the time every day, and by many people's accounts could also be called
"paradise" just like where I live now is also paradise to
many...
So,
the
thought dawned on me, "Paradise is not a location, paradise is a state of
mind!"
If
paradise is a state of mind, then how do we keep paradise when we return home
from vacation?
Here
are five tips I've discovered:
1.
Consider each moment, right where you are, paradise.
If
we are doing what we love, then that moment is paradise. If we are with
our friends and family who we love, then those moments are paradise. If
we are in our vehicle we enjoy driving, or walking to a location where
we can smell the flowers on the roadside, then those moments are paradise.
2.
Look up, look around.
Sometimes,
our mood slips because we become so serious, and when we become serious we stop
looking up and stop looking around. I learned a couple of years ago that
when we look up and look around, it automatically shifts our mood, and we feel
lighter and happier.
3.
SMILE! ;-)
When
we smile, we feel happier. I love the Nat King Cole song,
"Smile". If
you don't own it, buy an album with the song on it and give it a listen --
"Smile" was Nat's wife's favorite song.
Smiling
is contagious. Ever notice how happy you feel when someone is smiling
through their day? I have one friend who laughs constantly. People
always eavesdrop on her, thinking her life is SO interesting. Why? Because she's having FUN! Fun people are more interesting. There's a lot about life we really don't control, so we might as well just smile
and laugh about it!
4.
Paradise is a state of mind, heart, and soul.
Stop...
breathe, then take a look right under your nose. Yep, right there is
paradise in the moment! Is your heart heavy? Get out and exercise, or
do something to help you clear your head and think happier thoughts. One
time, I was feeling down on a job. All of a sudden, the thought occurred
to me that perhaps I was being hard on myself. That maybe, I'm better
than I was telling myself. I pulled out a sheet
of paper, and started writing down all of the positive comments managers,
co-workers, family and friends have ever said to me. In this exercise, it
is important to not write down anything negative - just the positives! I
wrote down a whole page. By the time I was done, I said, "Wow!
I'd like to meet this guy!!" It helped lift my own mood and elevate
me.
5.
Appreciate the past to gain a glimpse into the future.
Some
people only look at their past with regret - all their experiences are failures,
hurts, and sorrows. However, I've learned that if we "redefine"
our past to view failures, hurts and sorrows as learning experiences,
and replace these thoughts with positive viewpoints, we then have a past of
passion, excitement, learning, and love.
This
is possible! Why view our past in a way that continues to hurt us?
When we let go, forgive, and learn to love our own past, we free ourselves up to
love again NOW, in this present moment.
6.
If you're finding trouble finding paradise where you are, leave for a while.
When
I left for a vacation, I gained insights into the very environment I'd
come from -- a place that had beauty and environment to relax and enjoy
myself, not any further than 30 minutes from where I lived. It's likely
the same for you. What's in your own backyard?
Sure,
it's easy to feel like you're in paradise when you're in Hawaii, but most
often, PARADISE is right under our nose. We just have to look around and
appreciate what's in front of us.
