A Contented Life
Author: Betty Eddy

Do you have a contented life? For the most part, are you happy?

What makes you think you are happy or not happy?

When are you content?

Where are you when you feel most content? Is there a special time or place when you are most content? How often does this happen?

Why would you say you are happy or not happy?

How do you define happiness, contentment?

Who in your life makes you happy or takes away your happiness?

Look at these questions. If you consider yourself truly happy, are they contingent on situations outside yourself or do they come from inside you? If you are really happy for short periods of time can you duplicate that situation so it happens more frequently? If you see yourself as unhappy, is it because of circumstances?

"Your vision will become clear only when you can look into your own heart. Who looks outside, dreams, who looks inside, awakens." Carl Jung

If your happiness is based on anything outside yourself, money, more time, a relationship with the "right" person, you are doomed to failure. When circumstances change, your happiness will change. If your happiness comes from inside your, your happiness will not change with the circumstances.

"Easier said than done," you say. Ok, how do you create happiness inside you? How do you not rely on other people, places or things

Do you learn to really like yourself?
There are certain elements to consider. They include self respect, acceptance, appreciation, trust, tolerance. Look at these ingredients and apply them to yourself. Consider whether you treat yourself with the same love and appreciation you would treat another person.

Do you respect yourself?
Is there something in your past or someone who has made you feel less of a person? Are you living up to your personal values? Can you say you can be trusted? Do you keep your word?

Do you accept yourself?
Are you as accepting of yourself as you are of others? Do you look only at your flaws or do you consider your positive attributes? If there are areas you aren't comfortable with, are you in the process of changing them? Change what you don't like, accept that which you don't want to change. You don't have to be perfect.

Do you appreciate yourself?
Do you look at the nice things you do and pat yourself on the back? Do you tell yourself the words of encouragement you tell others?

Do you trust yourself?
Do you follow your intuition? Do you make sensible decisions? Is your judgement sound? Do you have common sense? Do you learn from your mistakes?

Do you show tolerance toward yourself?
Do you dwell on the negative or do you balance it out with positives. You may not normally think positively, your negative mind chatter may drag you down but you can develop the habit of thinking positively, creating an attitude of optimism and hope.

Take care of yourself. If you don't, nobody else will. If you don't appreciate and love yourself, how can you expect others to appreciate and love you? Develop goals that move you closer to caring for yourself. Learn from everything that happens, the positive as well as the negative, the small as well as the large.

A nice side effect of contentment is that you become more flexible. As you like yourself more, you can consider others more. You aren't so preoccupied with getting your own personal needs met. It's a win-win situation. As that happens, you find that delightful people come into your life and enhance it even more.

If you want help in any of these areas, please contact me for personal coaching. I offer a free half-hour phone coaching.

"If you want things to happen, work to make them happen."

It's your LIFE! Appreciate it and enjoy it.

This is a sample of my monthly newsletter. To sign up send an e-mail to lifeskills_intl@yahoo.com

Betty Eddy, Life Coach
Owner LifeSkills International
© Copyright Echod Enterprise 2000








--------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Owner LifeSkills International
Betty Eddy
http://www.lifeskillsinternational.com
281-286-8811
e-mail lifeskills_intl@yahoo.com

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------