Hardwiring Happiness? Get Present
Sky Valley Healing Arts
This quote hangs in my office to remind me that I must love what I do to be truly happy and successful.
One of my favorite podcasts is Lewis Howe's School of Greatness. It seems most times I listen to him, I get great tidbits on mindset shifts, but I tend to be driving down the road and I don't always have the time to make notes. However, being in the middle of creating my Motherhood Mindset Movement: a free 2 week email series on my top 15 traits or habits we need to develop in mothering ourselves, our children, and others in our lives, there was one podcast that I literally listened to over and over again. It's all about the present mindset, and getting present within yourself.
The guest that really intrigued me on this certain topic was Dr. Rick Hanson, Ph.D. a best selling author on neuroscience and happiness. Happiness could mean a million different things to a million different people, with examples of getting a better job, a better body, a happy marriage, a family etc, but those are future living ideas- when I get enough, I will be happy.
His book Hardwiring Happiness: The New Brain Science of Contentment, Calm, and Confidence, really gets into happiness in the context of experiencing the present moment, something most of us don't do well, if at all. He talks about how people are really caught up in the million dollar moments, but what about being grateful for the everyday moments?
Perhaps living in the present could cultivate an unconditional sense of enoughness in life. Conscensely experiencing these present moments can help to bring contentment, forgiveness, and love into our lives.
H.E.A.L (stands for)
Have the experience: Install it into your brain.
Enrich the experience: Stay with it, letting it become bigger.
Absorb the experience: Be changed by it.
Link the experience to the present moment and the sense of contentment.
If living in the present is difficult for you to do, and you are feeling stuck, stressed out, or just need a uplifting look into how getting present could make you happier, I would highly recommend listening to the podcast, then join me in my #motherhoodmindset series where I get deeper into my personal experiences as a future dweller. I'm sure you can guess that getting present is one of my top mindsets!