By Susan Wright
Most of my life I have spent searching for peace and happiness. This included reinventing myself many, many times with new looks, careers, friends, partners, locations, etc. by repeating childhood beliefs and randomly exploring new ideas. I wanted to see results because I did not know or trust myself.
Despite my focus being external, I always worked on the internal self, too. While attending group therapy, I discovered Dr. Burns’ book, Feeling Good, and ended my depression. However, I expected to feel happy over 50 percent of the time and not just brief sporadic moments.
Then I read about a couple of people during WWII in concentration camps. One person described herself as being happy no matter what the circumstances. She was choosing to enjoy her life until the end.
The other person found meaning in the horror he witnessed and experienced. This search for meaning gave him great insight, which he later used to help people and turn into a book, Man’s Search for Meaning.
Then a realization hit me! Deep, lasting happiness comes from within about the choices we make. Thinking the most beneficial thoughts is the basis for cognitive therapy, and these people had put this into action under the most trying circumstances.
Surely I could apply beneficial thinking living in one of the wealthiest countries in the world where even the poorest people have more luxuries than those in the concentration camps during WWII. This understanding became my first important step.
But it still took me over ten more years to find the peace and happiness that permeates my life today. Lots of gathering information on how to change my thinking, as well as, discovering what thoughts made me miserable. I learned how the beliefs that made me unhappy usually had a link to my childhood, and this realization, too, became the basis for my methods that I teach on how to obtain inner peace.
Happiness started with knowing, accepting and loving myself. This self-love was not the vain, selfish, egotistical kind, but the type of love that provides compassion and understanding as in, “Love your neighbor as yourself.”
Once I discovered who I was, I then could see my talents and destiny. Life became simple, not perfect or without frustrations, but comprehensive with a wonderful feeling of great joy and inner peace. To find out more about this service, visit www.tranquilhearts.com.