Sue Stevens 12.1.09

The primary cause of unhappiness is never the situation but your thoughts about it…. Happiness is ever elusive, but freedom from unhappiness is attainable now, by facing what is rather than making up stories about it. Unhappiness covers up your natural state of well-being and inner peace, the source of true happiness.

These words from Eckhart Tolle's A New Earth remind us that we have a choice about how we view our circumstances. I know it's difficult at times to focus on the positive when the news can be so negative. But keep two things in mind: 1) while you can't control the economy, you can control your mind set and 2) there is still much that is positive if you stop and think about it.

The Buddhist concept of detachment really does help alleviate suffering. Try not to think of the current financial climate as good or bad, it's just a time of lots of changes. Change is always unsettling, but it can bring new opportunities and shifts in consciousness. If things aren't going the way you expected, see what else there is in your life that you now have time to do. Maybe it's a hobby that you've always wanted to pursue. Maybe you can exercise some of that anxiety out of your system. Think about how these times are washing away what you no longer need and clearing space for new possibilities for the future.

Instead of thinking about what you don't have, think about what you do have. Americans still enjoy enormous freedoms. Perhaps cutting back on our excesses is a necessary and positive step. Hard times can bring us closer to our loved ones and bring out the kindness of strangers. Maybe we can stop our endless multi-tasking and start to enjoy one thing at a time.

I'm not saying that there aren't real problems that need to be solved. But that's not going to happen overnight and in the meantime we can work on the quality of our lives and choose to find well-being and inner grace.

Acknowledging the good that is already in your life is the foundation for all abundance