Sit down
every day for a few minutes, allow yourself to relax with the
method you prefer best, and imagine a beautiful place
you have been. Notice all the colorful details you can see
("adding" them in is perfectly acceptable) and just
observe how beautiful, peaceful, and serene this place in your
mind really is.
Go outside
and sit on the patio, in the backyard, or someplace else that
is solitary and peaceful. FOCUS on
the beautiful things you see all around you: flowers,
trees, desert scenery, mountains, ocean, forest, clouds, the
blue sky...
Take a walk
around the block, go swimming, or hike up a mountain. This is
great exercise, too, but make sure you slow
down to enjoy the beauty that you see all around you.
Specifically, FOCUS on all the beautiful, pretty, natural
objects that you see.
Visit a
museum, an art showing, or go camping or hiking to a natural
sight or place you find to be both peaceful and beautiful.
While you
drive around town, drive in "slow driving" (slow talk
to yourself if necessary so that your driving is not
tension-filled and stressful). Deliberately
notice and FOCUS on the nice and beautiful things you
see: beautiful yards, landscaping, an outstanding flower
bed, a unique business establishment, interesting architecture,
and all the natural physical beauty that surrounds you.
Yes, in each
and every case, the central message is to stop
and smell the roses. This is a lesson all of us need to learn
-- for our own enjoyment, peace, and tranquility.
The
more we deliberately FOCUS ON the good, the better, and the
beautiful, the more our minds turn
toward realistic (more positive) perceptions of the
world. (Yes, literal brain changes occur that are
"measurable" over time.)
In a sense,
we all know there are good and bad things in the world, and
there are millions of shades of gray.
HERE
WE HAVE A DECISION:
A. We can
decide to surrender to our "old"
conditioning and continue to view the world as
evil, hostile, and threatening, or
B. We can
gradually open up to the world
and deliberately focus on the nice, peaceful, gentle,
beautiful things that really are all around us.
This is one
more technique to help change our thinking about ourselves and
the world. As we see the world as more beautiful and
manageable, we begin to see ourselves in a more peaceful and
positive light as well.
And you
deserve to enjoy life and be happy.
You
deserve to see yourself more realistically and positively.
There
is beauty in almost everything and the more and more you focus
on the good, the better, and the beautiful, the more and more
your perceptions of the world and of yourself will change.