Recently I teamed up with a colleague of mine and gave a
presentation to our college about the benefits of bringing happiness to work.
We gave reasons why happiness is relevant to those of us who work in a
college atmosphere and how it will help the entire hierarchy if we all do our
part to foster its existence. Regardless of where you work, the need for
happiness is important! It transcends job titles, place of employment, rank or
income... Plain and simple, happy employees are a necessity if you want to run
a successful business! So what if you don't run a business? You're not left out
of this! Happiness is a necessity for those of us who wish to live an amazing
life! We have to find our HAPPY!
So there you go. Just be happy.
What? You expected more? Fair enough... I will share with
you one way (that works for me) to incorporate more happiness into life… Have a sacred
space.
A sacred space is just a fancy way of saying an area that is
all your own; One that you can go to and unwind, relax, decompress, pray,
meditate, or just BE. Your space should be personal and representative of you. Although
I am focusing on a specific area here, I encourage you to have all of your “spaces”
in order. I am talking about your home, your vehicle, your office… You get the
point! Personally, I prefer to have my spaces decorated in colors and patterns
that I enjoy and I also tend to be more productive and more relaxed after being
in a space that is extremely well organized and clean. I think you should ALWAYS MAKE
YOUR BED! This should become a habit because in my opinion it sets the tone
for your day! I really like fresh flowers, their pretty colors, the way they smell and the "pretty" they add to life, so as often as possible I surround
myself with them. I also enjoy burning scented candles and so I keep a lot of
handmade soy candles from a local boutique on hand. Although these little tips are great ways to keep your surroundings pretty, you might still care to have a sacred space that you can escape to when you feel like it!
Here are three things to consider as you designate a space to help make you happy:
1. Choose a spot that is able to be fairly private for you (and
your partner if you have one). If you are a parent, this can be a little
difficult, but I urge you to stay firm to it. Personally, we do not allow kid “paraphernalia”
in our bedroom (I am not talking about the early months when an infant sleeps
in a bassinet in your room). That is our space and when the rest of the house
falls apart, let's face it, it will if you have children, you have an area you
can go to and shut the door to regroup. Your children need the same type of
space and need to learn independence at the same time.
The other day while in my oldest daughter's room, I noticed
that she had used a marker to color on the sound machine that is next to her
bed. She has slept with white noise since she was an infant, and continues to
require it to this day. I noticed that it had some turquoise flowers and pink
dots drawn on its white surface and I asked her why. She told me because she
did not think it was very pretty, so she decided to decorate it and make it
look nicer next to her bed. It was pretty and I was proud of her for
improving her space in a way she liked. No real harm was done… I am not condoning
destructive behavior! ;-)
2. You don't need to limit it to one place; you can have a few spots that are your own! I have decorated
my office at work so that I enjoy
being in the space when I am there. I spend a lot of time in my office and it
is a representation of me. I do not want people to walk in and think, "Wow, this
is a mess!" I want to be the person who sets the tone for the energy in my
office, I want students and other staff to come in and enjoy the experience and
I want my happiness to be represented by the space around me.
In addition to our bedroom and my office, I have an outdoor
space that I enjoy as well. It is the perfect spot to sit and listen to the
birds and watch my horse out in his corral. I can see my girls playing with
their wagon, swinging or playing tether ball and listen to them laugh and talk. (I
can also hear them yell at each other… It is not always a utopia! Haha!)
Decide where your space or spaces can be and begin to make
them your own.
3. Once you have your sacred space(s) established, or maybe
you already have one, it is time to utilize it to foster happiness in your
life! Sometimes it is nice just to BE. That’s right, just be. You don't
necessarily have to be doing
anything! Just sit in the space and take in everything around you. Be alone
(this means no phone) with yourself and your thoughts and allow yourself to get
centered. You can also use this space to meditate or write in your gratitude
journal.
The most important thing is that you feel relaxed and happy
in this area. No negative thoughts or emotions should be permitted to accompany
you here! If something negative comes to mind, put a positive spin on it if at all possible, or simply remind yourself that right now you are choosing to be
happy and only allowing thoughts that fill you with happiness. That might take
some training, but it can be done. I am not suggesting that you should never
have a negative thought. You will and that is normal, but try to use this space
and your time there in a way to make yourself happy, not worry or dwell on things you are concerned about. You get to set the "rules" for your space so what will they be?
Here is a picture of one of my favorite places!
Good luck creating a sacred space of your own. I hope that
this gave you some simple ideas how you can foster happiness and LOVE LIFE!
