We Are Happy When We Are Growing..

Happiness comes from growth, personal growth. This is a liberating perspective. When we consider ‘happiness’ in this light, it becomes an experience that we can all achieve.

This doesn’t mean that it’s easy and that’s okay too, because worthwhile experiences and ways of being in this life almost always involve a degree of striving. In fact, it is this very process of striving, working towards a valuable goal that generates this much sought after happiness.

Growing pains can be uncomfortable and can act as a deterrent, but they are a necessary part of the process. It is the very act of overcoming these growing pains, throwing yourself right into them and coming out the other side that leads to growth and change and ultimately a degree of happiness.

There is no end point. There is no final destination when it comes to growth, it is a continuum. We redefine our goals and our intentions and then we move forwards in what we believe to be the best direction at any given moment.

Time only moves forward, and never back. We have two choices. We can move forward in time, with our head over our shoulder, looking into the past and mulling over what has taken place there. Or, we can turn and look ahead and grab the bull by the horns, so to speak! We can find ways to grow. Set an intention, an objective, and work towards it.

Hypnotherapy helps us to undo the wrangles that keep us stuck in the past, the issues that pull our heads back over our shoulder, looking at events that cannot be changed. Hypnotherapy can reorient us towards the future.

Personal growth can be messy. Sometimes it involves a leap of faith. Holding your nose and jumping straight into the water. Jumping without knowing how the water is.

A long time ago now, when I was in my twenties and backpacking around Australia, a group of us went to visit a lake on a very hot day to spend the day swimming. When we arrived, I jumped straight into the water. It was absolutely freezing. It shocked me. The lake had been an old reservoir. It was deep and still and very, very cold. I remember the coldness hitting my chest and my head and feeling panicked. For a few seconds, I lost my bearings and couldn’t tell which way was up. Then I relaxed and found myself on the surface of the water.

Once I caught my breath and swam out a little way, I was able to appreciate just how beautiful the water was. Within a short while, I was having a completely different experience and although the water was still cold, but it was also invigorating. It was one of the best swims I have ever had.

So...

If, when we jump in the water and find that it is cold, we get swimming and we see what happens.

How are you going to grow this week? Are you ready to jump in and swim in the direction of happiness?