Tag Archives: meditation

What Makes God Happy?

I don’t often share my meditations anymore, but I thought I would share this one, just because it really makes you think outside of yourself.  This is about finding a way to be happy by thinking beyond just yourself.

Usually when we speak to God, whether through prayer or meditation, it is always about what we want. We are always asking for this, that and the other, never stopping to ask God how was his day.  How many of us really take the time to ask God how he’s doing?  How many of you ever have?

When I started off my meditation the other night, I asked him, “What do you want me to know?”  [As in, what should we talk about that concerns me?]  Then I stopped and said, “Wait.  That is selfish of me.  Let’s try something else.  Tell me…what makes you happy?”




I honestly don’t think anyone has ever asked God that.  Sure, in many religions, someone will say we should do things that will make God happy with us.  Asking about God’s happiness is always centered on a selfish reason, like ‘are you happy with me?’  Are we doing good things in God’s eyes?  It is always a self reflection of ourselves, rather than just asking God…what is good or what makes him happy.

So what did God reveal when asked this question?  The answer is much simpler than you can ever imagine.  Here are a few examples of what makes God happy…

  • The laughter of a child.
  • Playing games with your child, chasing them around outside.
  • Sitting down, talking, sharing and laughing with good friends.
  • The sun shining on your face.
  • Counting the stars in the sky.
  • Lying down in the grass, watching the clouds go by next to the person you love (like your child).
  • The person you love (like your child) wrapping their arms around you and leaning their head against your chest.
  • A hug from someone you love (like your child).

There is a common theme in all of this.  The first one being that none of the things that makes God happy centers around material things.  Not a single thing above deals with objects.  Instead, it deals with people and nature.  God’s happiness is found in sharing love with those around you and finding peace in nature.




These examples are all very simplistic moments, but they are all things that we take for granted each and every day.  We take for granted how it feels to hold someone you love.  We don’t take time to meet with friends to talk and laugh together in an outside environment, enjoying the peace and tranquility of nature.  We don’t chase after our kids and play with them outside.  How many of us sit down and even look at the stars every night?  [Those of us who live in the city don’t even have the luxury of seeing stars in the sky.]

Can you remember the last time you laid down in the grass and watched the clouds floating by?  I think it’s been decades ago for me.

When you truly think about doing those things (and the last time you actually did them), did it bring a moment of happiness to your heart?  Remember when those moments were so pure, innocent and peaceful?  Those are the moments that make God happy.

Thinking of those examples, when you want to find your own moment of happiness, ask God what makes him happy.  Truly open your mind to see what it reveals.  If that moment brings you a little bit of love, peace and happiness, hold onto that happy thought.

Take that happy thought and go one step further.  When it comes to service, think of the things that make God happy and using that as a guideline, consider thinking of what will make others happy.  Do things for others that will truly make them happy (note that this has nothing to do with material things).

Spend time with the people you love.  I mean, really go outside and spend time with them.  Don’t bring your devices with you to distract you.  Disconnect from technology so you can relearn how to connect with each other.  Those are the moments both you and your loved ones are going to remember for the rest of your lives.

This is how you create happiness.  True happiness comes from a place of love.




In the Grand Scheme of Things

After my meditation, I found how easily my world changed around me.  I went to take the trash out and noticed a dog waiting outside of my door with his owner.  It was like he was waiting for me to come out.  I had never seen him before.  I know a lot of the dogs in the neighborhood.  This one, I did not know.

I put the trash on the curb, and the dog came over as if to say good morning.  I felt like this was the universe saying good morning in the happiest way possible.  The owner of the dog was just beaming.

On the way to the train, I noticed an old man sitting in a potted plant doing his #2 business.  I had never seen anyone do that before.  He waved at me as I was passing by and said, “Good morning!” in a very cheery tone.  I didn’t know what to say, so I said good morning back.

I got a block away before I realized…ok…you can’t help but laugh at something like that.




One moment after another was just one more moment of happiness to add to the list.

Embracing God’s happiness and keeping the thoughts of what makes him happy does bring happiness into your own life in incredible ways.  It is like the universe conspires to bring happiness right to your door.

Just seeing that dog sitting in front of my door waiting for me to come out…that, to me, was the universe winking back at me.  That is the kind of life I like to live, one where the universe conspires to bring happiness into my life in all the little moments out there.




 

Turning Your Negative Thoughts Into Positive Thoughts

How to Turn Your Negative Thoughts Into Positive Thoughts
How to Turn Your Negative Thoughts Into Positive Thoughts

Every week, I attend meditation classes.  Not just to meditate, but to listen and learn how I can become a better human being.

My focus at this stage in my life is on cleaning out the soul of all of the things it does not need like negative thoughts, pain, hurt, judgment, etc.  It takes a lot of practice and concentration to go through each item that is causing my soul torment…the things I need to get rid of before I die.

One of my biggest challenges right now is to stop thinking negative thoughts all of the time.  I oftentimes find myself drowning in negative thoughts, especially when I’m walking around outside Manhattan.  Between the crazies you meet every single day and the tourists that get in the way and walk super slow (or take over the entire sidewalk and don’t move at all while you’re trying to get to work), you start to immediately think like a New Yorker would and that’s not always a positive thing.

The number of obscenities that run through my mind every single day on the commute to the office…I’d be a rich woman if I put a quarter in a jar for every bad thought I had during the commute to the office.

Then there are those negative things you tell yourself in the morning when you scrutinize how you look or live, or the things you see on social media or television, or the things that happen inside your home before you’ve even left the house.  The negative thoughts just keep on flowing from the moment you wake up and continue well into your dreams.

We are conditioned to think negatively all of the time.  We’ve let the negative thought processes take over so much that to think positively becomes so alien to us.  It becomes a concerted effort to think positive at all times.

A couple of weeks ago, I heard a story of a nun that at a young age was sheltered from the world.  She was kept away from people that were negative or gossiped.  She was kept away from the world like Siddhartha (Buddha) was kept away from the world.  As a result of being kept from the world, she never had a negative thought.  She always had positive thoughts, because she was shielded from all of the negative things in the world.

Imagine having an intellect that was powerful enough to extinguish the negative from ever entering your mind.  That was what this young girl was practicing from the time she was six years old.  She’s an old woman now and still lives in this world separate from all of the negative things that happen.  Her only focus is to remain at peace and to be positive.  It is her positive mind that inspires and helps everyone she encounters.

I aspire to be like her…to have a mind so powerful that when a negative thought attempts to enter my mind, it will be extinguished by the fire of positivity.  I aspire to have a mind that is conditioned to think positive thoughts first and when the negative thoughts attempt to enter, it will be so alien to my mind that it can’t break through that barrier and take over.

For those who read books like “The Secret” by Rhonda Byrne and other books focusing on the benefits of positive thinking, you know what great rewards can come to you when you are positive all of the time.  Simply put, the thoughts you put out there are the exact experiences you get back.  If you think positive all of the time, only good things will happen to you.  If you think negative, only bad things will happen to you.  It is the way the universe works and has always worked.

The thought process is basically – YOU ARE WHAT YOU THINK.  Your entire life and the good things you want out of life can be had…if you put your mind to it.

Changing your mindset from negative to positive is easier said than done.  It takes a lot of practice.  The first step in changing your mindset is devoting yourself to a practice of daily meditation.  The best time to start is when you first wake up in the morning.  Take a moment to not press the snooze button and just sit up, focus on your soul, and think positive thoughts.  Sit like this for a few minutes, in complete silence, then open your eyes and begin your day.


With each thought you have over the course of the day, focus on the quality of the thought.  Is it a negative thought or a positive thought?  If it is a negative thought, stop yourself.  Don’t let the thought continue.  CHOOSE to accept that what you were thinking was negative and you will no longer entertain that thought.  Switch your mind to focusing on a positive thought.

Ask yourself this:  How can I change how I think and feel about that negative situation I was just thinking about so that I can feel positive about it so I will never think that way again?  

You’ll find that the more and more you recognize the negative and decide to stop it in its tracks, you’ll find that you are beginning to reshape your mind, teaching your mind a new truth.

This is something you have to practice over and over and over again until your mind’s natural condition is to think positive thoughts at all times, never letting the negative disrupt your thoughts.  Let the good thoughts be the first thoughts you grab from now on like it is sweet nectar from the tree of knowledge.

Beyond having a better, more peaceful mind, you’ll find that when you are a positive person, great and amazing things happen to you all of the time.  Whatever you truly want is yours, because the thoughts you create from this positive perspective will help you achieve all of the dreams you have for yourself.  Your mind will also reshape itself to only want the good dreams, not the ones that will ultimately hurt you or others.  You will, in essence, learn to choose wisely because your choices are coming from a good place.

When negative things happen, you don’t let it bother you or shape you.  You’ll know how to deal with the situation more intelligently, because you’ll have a strong, positive mind.

Daily meditation is the key to obtaining this strength.  Thinking positive is a strength because of how hard you have to work at making this a part of your life.  To think negatively all of the time is a sign of being weak.


For those looking to learn how to meditate, I strongly recommend learning from the Brahma Kumaris World Spiritual Organization.   They have Meditation Centers all over the world.  You can even learn how to meditate on their website.  People from all religious backgrounds who want a deeper understanding and connection to their soul and God can find out how to create a better connection by learning meditation through raj yoga (yoga for the mind).  I’ve met Hindus, Muslims, Christians, Buddhists, etc. at the Meditation Center over these last 8 years.  Learning raj yoga has helped them have a much deeper, spiritual connection with God and has helped them understand their religion much better than before.  It helps them create peace within themselves no matter what is happening in their lives or around them.

Simply put, the Brahma Kumaris help people find peace within themselves so that they can become a better human being for this world.

It is absolutely free to take meditation classes with them.

When I was introduced to them 8 years ago, I was searching for God. I couldn’t find him in man’s religion.  When I sat through the free meditation classes, I realized that I was right.  God was not in religion.  He was always right there with me.  I was always searching for something that I already had.  I just needed someone to confirm what I already knew was true.  The Brahma Kumaris were the first to say, “You were right all along.”  They were the answer I was looking for all these years, and I grew up a Christian. I find that every time I attend classes, I always learn something new that helps me with whatever is happening in my life at that moment.

I soak up stories of great people and how through the practice of meditation, they are helping change the world for the better.  Meditation is what empowers the minds to become strong and to focus on doing great things for the world to help people in the most amazing ways.  You may go into meditation thinking that you are doing something great for yourself, but you’ll soon learn that doing something great for yourself also means sharing that joy you’ve found within yourself with the world.  That’s what positive thinking people do…they want to share the benefits of everything good in the universe with everyone around them.  Because if everyone thought positive all of the time, this world would be a much better place.