A Resolution to be Joyful

In this vast universe there is no such thing as “Old Year” and “New Year”. These are man-made time measures because we need milestones to measure our life.  Demarcating the years tells us how old we are. That is one important aspect.  The other aspect is we need some kind of milestone to see how well we are doing with our life.  Have we moved forward or backward and how long did it take to get to where we are today? This could be in terms of wealth, career ambitions, health and so on.

Around New Year’s is everyone’s favorite time to set new resolutions.  It is the time to look back and see how well we did in the year and set resolutions to make changes in areas we see ourselves lacking.  It is a slow time with the weather turning cold, giving us time to reflect. As we reflect on what to make of ourselves in the coming year, it is important to consider a few things. We seek happiness outside in acquisitions, relationships, work and enslave ourselves to external realities without realizing that true happiness is within us. Goals of acquisition as in money, car, house – which are also needed – make you happy for a short time.  But it does not bring lasting happiness or fulfillment.

A better resolution would be to say – I will not only be joyful within myself, but also bring joy to others to the best of my ability and do the best for everyone around me.   If we have a vision of this for ourselves and the world, it is not beyond our capacity to create it.  If we seek it every moment of our life, the highest things will come knocking on our door.  For this to happen a clear vision and commitment to this vision is needed.

Most of the time we experience ourselves as voices, thoughts and emotions creating confusion of many different levels and states.  One thing we can do to clear this confusion is to speak and think consciously.  To do this use these questions as your guide.

• What is it that I want to say? Most of the time we are reacting and blabbering away. Think carefully and choose your words carefully and speak.
• Who am I saying this to? Look at the person in front of you and assess if that is what you really want to say to that person. If not, resist the urge to speak the first thing that comes to your mind.  You could not only hurt the other person, but also end up regretting what you said.
• Is this the right situation to say it? If it is not the right situation to say it, then learn and practice to remain silent.  You will thank yourself later for not blurting out the first thought that came to your mind.

Words are powerful.  Most of our problems are created by not speaking responsibly and consciously.  Responding consciously to everyone and every situation brings peace and joy within.

So having this vision of how you want to be in a year’s time is important to bring that happiness within. Take some time to sit in solitude and write down the qualities that will make you joyful and bring fulfilment.  For example – I want to speak consciously, I will not hurt another being, I will respond and not react to people and situations around me, I will be the best I can be every moment etc.  Commit yourself to these life enhancing goals.  At the end of each day take stock of how you did with these goals.  Sincerely look at the situations where you did well and where you did not.  Make a note and say to yourself that you will do better the next day.

Most importantly – keep practicing. There is no other way. There are no short cuts. If you sincerely work towards this, you will soon see that you are becoming a joyful person indeed.  Being joyful is the best thing you can do for yourself.  A joyful person naturally brings joy to others around them.

This simple and powerful meditation can help you on your journey to become peaceful and joyful.  Follow this link – https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=EwQkfoKxRvo