Daily random acts of kindness are something we all can do.  A smile, a hug, a warm welcome takes very little effort and we can all participate in this act.  Being a part of a cause that involves our time and dedication, on the other hand, takes some effort.

“If you can influence the outcome, do the work. If you can’t influence the outcome, ignore the possibility. It’s merely a distraction.” – Seth Godin

To solve any problem, it takes focus.

Finding a cause close to our hearts and doing the work to make a difference in this world takes fierce discipline, dedication, and determination.

A few famous examples of those who followed these principles are Mother Teresa, Martin Luther King, Mahatma Gandhi, Steve Jobs, Simon Sinek, Aung San Suu Kyi and Nelson Mandela. The choices they made to stay true to the cause close to their hearts teaches us we all have a calling, a purpose we feel drawn to.

Most of us don’t have the resources to be participating in multiple causes without sacrificing focus and constant learning it requires to make changes in this world.  But I can take up one cause and so can you… and you…

“Take up one idea. Make that one idea your life — think of it, dream of it, live on that idea. Let the brain, muscles, nerves, every part of your body, be full of that idea, and just leave every other idea alone. This is the way to success.” – Swami Vivekananda.

The post Which cause is it today? appeared first on Third Eye Fitness.

Take a moment to reminisce about your happiest moments where you won a trophy or someone called you “pretty” or got a promotion at work, or found your “perfect partner’.  How long did that happiness last before your mind went back to its familiar level of happiness? Depending on the event, it may have lasted a day, a few months or maybe a year, but notice how it always dropped back to its familiar level?

Hedonic treadmill is the treadmill most of us are on in the pursuit of happiness without realizing that there is a familiar level of happiness (a happiness set point) we all return to regardless of what happens to us.

There is a set point or familiar level of happiness each of us are capable of experiencing once our basic necessities such as food, clothing and shelter are met. This set point varies for each individual.  No external conditions can increase this happiness level permanently, yet most of us keep running on the treadmill to only arrive at the same place we started; hence the name hedonic treadmill.

So are we not supposed to feel happy when good things happen? Of course not! We should wholeheartedly enjoy those moments we get to experience in this life. However, what we need to pay attention to and ask ourselves is “where does our familiar level of happiness fall?”

Often, we unconsciously live our days chasing love from our partners/family/friends, more money to buy more things, more validation from others to feel confident, more power to feel in control and more beauty to feel accepted.  This is definitely not the familiar level of happiness any of us would consciously choose.

So how do we get off this treadmill and change our familiar level of happiness?

Resetting the happiness set point (I like to call it “finding contentment”):

Here I am sharing a concept and practice that has helped me and continues to help me.

• Cultivating Self-Love

This is neither the kind of love you give yourself by going to a spa or getting a manicure and pedicure (nice try!) nor is it just a liking of yourself.  If someone asked me a few years ago, if I loved myself, I would have said “of course”.   And, my reasons would have been: I think I’m pretty enough, talented enough, smart enough etc. That must mean I love myself, right? Wrong.

Like many of us, that liking of myself came with conditions.

As women, when we do our hair and makeup, we feel pretty and we like ourselves.

When we find the perfect partner or in those moments our partner is loving towards us, we feel worthy of love and we like ourselves.

When someone pays us a compliment or we achieve something, we feel accepted and we like ourselves.

When we do charity work, we feel noble and we like ourselves.

In this social media age, when we get 100+ likes on one of our posts or 10000 followers, we feel validated and we like ourselves.

You get the point. That feeling of liking ourselves is fleeting, because it is just an emotion created by an external stimulation.  True love of the self can only come from within us.

When we really begin to understand the concept of self-love, even if no one compliments us or we don’t achieve something or we put on some weight, there is a love for the self that is unconditional.

In self-love, you forgive yourself, you accept yourself without comparison, you give yourself permission to say no, you allow yourself to explore and be playful, you seek self-mastery, you ask for help when needed, you allow yourself to be vulnerable, you embrace and love the things that make you different and you recognize your uniqueness in this world.

By practicing self-love, we begin to exist at our highest potential and everyone around us benefits to the fullest.

Self-love Practice:

Listen to your inner dialogue (what your thoughts are about yourself) the next time:

You make a mistake;

You say something you thought was foolish;

You look in the mirror without your hair and makeup done;

You eat something that you told yourself you wouldn’t;

You feel you are not being productive;

You feel you are not spending enough time with your child;

You say something mean to someone;

(Add whatever else relates to you here)

After you listen to it, write it down. Take 10 minutes out of your day to be in a quiet place and replace it with words you would say to your loved ones in that situation (your child, partner, sibling or best friend).

This is just one daily ritual we can do to practice self-love.  To understand this concept better and master it, continue seeking knowledge on this topic.  Search online, read books, keep practicing and one day you will see how it transforms your life to a level you never knew existed.

I’m by no means claiming this is easy to master, but I know from experience that consistently practicing self-love will definitely increase our familiar level of happiness and we begin to understand contentment. In my case, it is also teaching me to live outside my comfort zone, face my fears and create in this world, despite of the outcome.

The post Get off the treadmill to find happiness appeared first on Third Eye Fitness.

Let go of the events of the past.  Practice entering the Now.

Let go of the need to be right.  Practice love and compassion.

Let go of the need to be perfect.  Practice self-love.

Let go of the need to control.  Practice acceptance.

Let go of self-cherishing.  Practice the joy of serving others.

Let go of comparing the self to others.  Practice becoming the best version of the self.

Let go of judgments.  Practice extending love.

Let go of extremes.  Practice moderation and maintain balance.

Let go of trying hard to let go.  Just Breathe.  

Meditate.

The post The Art of Letting Go appeared first on Third Eye Fitness.

The post Third Eye Fitness appeared first on Third Eye Fitness.