The new year is here already and it’s crazy to me how fast the holidays just flew by this year. The holiday lights are coming down in the neighborhood and I can feel the city settling into it’s new groove.

Over and over again this week I keep coming back to the theme of owning your own happiness.

For example, as if it were a test, yesterday I was speaking to a customer service agent and I was taken aback (almost speechless) by the cut offs, short answers, and overall tone of this person. Despite all this I decided not to wallow in anger and reminded myself that we all own our own happiness.

Sure, something not so pleasant happened. It was an event. But does it mean you have to stay angry?

I caught myself wondering (while still on the call) whether or not this person was having a bad day or if he was going through pain and couldn’t help but show it. I found myself going back to the text in the Course and reminded myself that he was a brother and only love is real; everything else is illusion.

After hanging up I did a few energy exercises to release anything that was left over from the call and did a little shimmy to help bring myself to center again.

I’m still in awe at how we’ve become so trained as human beings to react to EVERYTHING. This can easily make you a prisoner to all things outside you.

The only way to build new neural pathways is to practice and put as much focus on the positive vs. the usual negatively focused thoughts and what better way than to put all your energy into believing what is good, true, and only real in this world?

In case we all need a good reminder: Your source, light, love, abundance, inner beauty, great wisdom, kindness… are just a few of the things to be grateful for. This much… I know to be absolute truth.

Remember, what you focus on expands so tell your inner critic, “thank you but not right now” and focus on feeling good.

It’s important to not only think the positive thought but feel it too, and watch the magic happen.

(If you need a book/post to help kick-start this new habit start here.)

So as we wrap up the first week of the year may we all focus on feeling whole, good, and light. Happy New Year 🙂

Namaste.