Changing If Only to I will, I accept, I BELIEVE... One thought at a time.

Finding Unqualified Happiness
If Only

Since most of our experiences are rooted in cause and effect, we naturally want to justify our contentment. We envision grand circumstances, stating that if only we could achieve this goal or obtain that possession, we would finally be in a position to attain happiness. As a result, satisfaction is always just out of reach and the very notion of grabbing hold of it seems like nothing more than a pipe dream. But the truth is that sincere contentment and fulfillment are never wholly the result of external events or situations. Though life's joyful moments can ignite the spark of contentment within us, that spark is fueled by serenity long established in our souls. When we forget this, it is easy to become stuck in "if only" patterns of thought. If we concentrate on the natural serenity that exists within us, however, we can move forward unimpeded by disappointment.

The circumstances you live through each day have the potential to bring both joy and despair into your life. Relying on the reactions they awaken within you to create an emotional foundation means living on a roller coaster of feeling whose course is determined by chance. Though you may yearn for the object of your desire-be it a new job, financial health, a spouse, or some other symbol of success-you have within you the power to be happy without it. Letting go of your "if only" thinking patterns can be as easy as recognizing that inward emptiness cannot be dispelled with outer world solutions. Try creating a list of your "if only"s. Then literally and figuratively let go of the items on the list by tearing it up or burning it. This simple action can help set in motion the intention to set you free, enabling you to make a fresh and balanced start in the present, unencumbered by regrets and unfulfilled desires.

There will likely be periods in your life in which you find yourself tempted to seek a magic formula for fulfillment that is centered upon a single goal or achievement. But the ingredients that come together to form the seeds of happiness that can sustain your spirit throughout the triumphs and trials of existence come from within rather than from without. When your search for satisfaction is focused on your soul, you will never fail to find the joy you seek.

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I would normally post this on Digital Soup Online; the Blog. But I wanted people to read it so I posted it here. www.dailyom.com is such a good place of inspiration. Mostly in Digital Soup, I post a lot of daily OM’s. There are other things there too but this place has the best daily inspirations.

Today’s seemed appropriate as this morning I was lamenting over the things I don’t have in life. Not that I was dark and depressed over it, but I found myself going “If Only I had…” or “If Only I had done…” and even in some cases “If Only I had NOT…”. Then immediately following a string of those thoughts, this appeared in my email. What timing.

I immediately put my work aside and began a rough list of “If Onlys”. This list includes both seemingly negative and positive things. But it is the list of things that bounce back and forth in me. What’s your “If Only” list like? Do you need to do some cleaning? Some letting go?

IF only:
~I was thin
~I had more money
~I had a home (specifically a mansion)
~I could keep up with the latest trends in technology
~I could eat out whenever I wanted
~I didn’t have to work
~I had never married too early
~I had never started a bad habit in November
~I could get back into school
~More people would listen to me instead of brushing me off
~Crony would be quiet
~I were working at home again
~I was free to do what I want
~I would paint again
~I would be creative with my ATC’s
~I would write a single poem!
~I had a better car
~I wasn’t having trouble sleeping

There are so many things in that list. And now, I will imagine that ball of stress related to most of those “If Only’s” and pack it tight, just like I would a snowball…. Pack it harder and harder until it’s all condensed into one freezing ball of stress, and then I’ll throw it as HARD AS I CAN, as FAR AS I CAN...away from me!

For the rest of the day today, I will change the “If Only’s” to

~I Will, Wont, Accept, and Believe:
~I will be thin
~I will have more money
~I will have a home of my choice
~I will have the best electronics that are necessary in my life (and yes I can choose between need and want)
~I won’t eat out whenever I want to, but I WILL eat well at home, cooking and eating with pleasure not pressure.
~I will someday be my own boss, begin a business that takes off with others, or enjoy my job even if it’s volunteering.
~I accept that I married too early.
~I believe this bad habit will go away because I WILL it too.
~I will get back in school when it’s right
~I accept that some people don’t listen because they’re on a different path, and I BELIEVE that others do because they believe in me too.
~I believe that Crony will eventually be quiet.
~I will work at home again (see earlier line about my job)
~I accept that I am free and believe in myself to make the choices necessary to maintain that freedom
~I WILL paint again
~I WILL be creative again
~I believe I will write a poem soon
~I will have a new car someday
~I believe that I will get more sleep very soon.

I can’t “throw them away” as the daily om suggests, but I can change them and send that out instead. May your “If Only’s” be changed into your positive intentions!

Make it a great day,
Love, light and bright blessings and,
You are a blessing to me everyday

Muse