| All your thoughts, whether happy thoughts or sad | | | | Family Genetics effect your Authentic Happiness |
| thoughts come from what you believe about you. All | | | | Did you know that your family genetics accounts for |
| your thoughts have been put into your mind by other | | | | about 50% of your tendency towards either authentic |
| people. | | | | happiness or depression? From about 8 to15% is |
| Do this exercise and you will see what I mean. | | | | affected by where you live. Now the most striking |
| How Do You Know What You Know? | | | | thing is that you have around 40% to decide what |
| Gather up one of your friends and play this simple | | | | your own meaning of authentic happiness is because |
| game. | | | | after all your personal happiness philosophy is your |
| Choose to be either The Questioner or The Defender. | | | | choice. |
| The Questioner asks The Defender to state | | | | If you had parents or just one parent who would |
| something that is obvious, like the sky is blue or the | | | | argue their point of view and not listen to others then |
| rocks are hard. It really doesn’t matter what they | | | | chances are that you would possibly do the same. Or, |
| decide to defend it will come back to the same | | | | you could have decided it was best to keep your |
| answer every time. | | | | opinions to yourself. Either way you were still |
| The Defender: The sky is blue | | | | defending a point of view, a belief you took on about |
| Questioner: How do you know that? | | | | yourself. This reactive behavior is counterproductive to |
| Defender: Because I can see that it is blue. | | | | discovery your creative nature and to be able to |
| Questioner: How do you know that? And so on until | | | | discover you authentic happiness |
| you get something like this… | | | | What to do to become a Master in the art of |
| Defender: Because my mother and my teacher told | | | | manifesting Authentic Happiness |
| me so. | | | | The secret to being a master in the art of |
| The harder you defend your point of view and the | | | | manifestation of authentic happiness is to be able to |
| longer the game goes will indicate the degree that you | | | | identify how much you will defend a point of view that |
| are under the influence of others points of view. This is | | | | may not be important to your achieving happiness |
| not the way to work from your authentic self and | | | | now. It is wise to accept that the old thoughts you had |
| does not work well when you desire to manifest | | | | about how to achieve happiness may not even be |
| authentic happiness. How can you when most of your | | | | true. |
| thoughts are not your own and may not be true. | | | | One of the questions I constantly ask myself is, “In |
| These untrue thoughts can keep you separate from | | | | the scheme of things how important is this argument |
| the authentic happiness information you are seeking to | | | | to my authentic happiness?” In other words am I |
| access from within you. | | | | being true to my heart and honoring my spiritual |
| How reliable is your point of view? | | | | consciousness. |
| Your usual or constant thoughts are derived from | | | | When you are defending a point of view check in on |
| somewhere outside of you. They have been given to | | | | your energy level |
| you via other people. If these people had a warped | | | | The energy you expend defending your point of view |
| idea of their own authentic happiness then you have | | | | further removes you from feelings of peace, love, |
| taken on the same ideas. While some of these ideas | | | | harmony, joy, fun and other positive feelings of |
| have been helpful to you, many have not. From your | | | | authentic happiness. And, in the light of the simple |
| conception through to around age 6 they have caused | | | | game you have played you can see how futile that |
| you to develop your belief system about yourself, | | | | can be. This does not mean that you should not have |
| others and the world. They were your means of | | | | any point of view. What it does mean is it is wise to |
| surviving in the environment in which you were born. | | | | check into how you feel while you are defending your |
| You designed your beliefs to keep you from hurt and | | | | point of view and note whether this increases or |
| pain. They became very ingrained in your | | | | decreases the degree you are achieving happiness in |
| consciousness. | | | | your life. |