What the hey!!!!

I have no idea what I'm going to write but I feel the need to write on the subject of, "Only you can make you happy!"

OK, You are feeling miserable, someone comes along and suddenly you are happy! How does that work? I used to do the "I've just won the lottery" thing. The point is that generally speaking if you were feeling miserable and you heard that you won the lottery you'd probably go into emotionally overdrive. But it isn't the winning the lottery that makes you happy. It's the thought of it. How many times have you thought you had good news, got all excited and then found out it wasn't true? I have that a lot. What really bugs me is when I am talking to people and they jump to the conclusion that I am telling a happy ending story and get all excited. I feel really horrible to have to disappoint them, maybe I should make up a happy ending for them!

The point is that all the stuff that makes you happy is in your body. It is in you. So, when someone or something comes along that makes you happy, it isn't the thing that made you happy, it is your reaction to it. Often the things that tend to make us are new things and surprises. Often when I get Happy because of a person, the initial happiness doesn't last (If my happiness is triggered by a thing)

Very often I can link my lack of happiness to my lack of energy. I have noticed that when I am low on energy and in need of a rest even usually exciting things don't do it. I try to remember to have a rest and find things that energise me. Some things that supposedly energise actually don't. They are just fun to do when you have energy. Some of the things that energise me most are sitting and resting in deep relaxation, not thinking about anything. I like to listen to music that distracts my thinking and stops me concentrating on anything. I like music that seems to massage me on the inside. It always takes a while to get comfortable with a piece of music but it is well worth the effort.

Sometimes, mindlessly watching TV or playing computer games. But not stressful and not as a lifestyle. I don't like to "get involved" with a program or game, because then it becomes more stuff in my life. The same goes for thumbing through a mindless mag, just dreamily looking at the photos and drifting off to the white sandy beach, or floating down the river.

I, as you can probably tell, am the cerebral type. I do a lot of thinking, therefore for me re energising myself is giving the brain a rest and feeling for a change, or just day dreaming but definitely not concentrating. For others, emotional types and gut reactors just switching that off for a while will help recharge the batteries. I actually find boredom very helpful. Like most people I don't like being bored. But, I find it really helpful to do nothing until I am bored. Once I'm bored I know I am recharged!

Sleep alone is not enough rest. And sometimes even the time wasting things we find can be draining. Like they say, "A change is as good as a rest!" So, do something different. Not demanding and not in line with what you usually do. Having said that I found the boxes at the museum a real energy booster!

Sometimes I have to remind depressed people that what they are saying isn't true, it is the slant their depression puts on it. For example the feeling that you have too much on, everthing is against you and so on. When you are up and full of energy these things are as nothing.

I was asked on Sunday what I could thank God for. Recently I have heard a debate on "the curse of work!" However, if you are in a good frame of mind and have plenty of energy there is nothing that beats the satisfaction of a job well done. We were made to work before the fall, the fall just made it hard work!

One of the reasons we get down is because we look at the negatives. We focus on them so much that they become all there is. Obviously there can be physiological reasons for feeling down and that needs medical treatment or whatever. But one of Jesus' pushes was to not focus on the negative but to focus on the positive. Now, you can focus on the things in this world that are positive, but they aren't guaranteed to stay positive. Jesus clearly and constantly referred to the fact that God is in Heaven. A real God in a real place. If we focus on the stuff down here we will get all the depression we deserve. However, if we focus on God in the way that Jesus encouraged us to then the rest will follow, as He said!

Our joy is dependent on what is going on in our minds. Like I said if you heard you won the lottery. Well, there is a true lottery that we can all win and that is knowing the creator God of the universe has plans to prosper us and not to harm us, for our good and has a good future for us.

There was a series over here called red dwarf. In it there was a character who was typically depressive. One time they plugged into a computer game called "better than life!" The idea was that it connected with your thoughts and while you were in the game anything you could imagine became real. All of the characters had a great time, they were successful and really enjoyed themselves, except this depressive character. He ended up an ruining it for everyone!!

Even when we are told everything is positive some people would still rather not take control of their own minds but let their minds dictate to them how it's going to be. The fact we are told to control our thinking tells us we can. So, we have come full circle. Only you can make you happy!

What follows is the episode "Better than life" in three parts!







Jesus said of Himself being "The Life," but for the mean time most of us have a life that isn't reality, it is only our perception. We need to learn to change our perception by taking what God says and counting it as more real than what we see. If we have life then what God has for us is better than life. Are you going to allow your perceptions to spoil what God has for you?