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Jonathan Robinson, Finding Happiness

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Tag Archives: love

My New Book “Find Happiness Now”

Jonathan Robinson, Finding Happiness Posted on June 24, 2014 by Jonathan RobinsonJanuary 16, 2023

find_happiness_now (1)What do you want in life?  You may think it’s money, or a hot relationship or a better job, but why do you want those things?  Because you think if you had them, you’d be even happier.   I call this belief the “as soon as” method for finding happiness.  You think “As soon as I have more money, or as soon as I lose 10 pounds, or as soon as I find my soul mate, THEN I will be happy.”  I have good news and bad news for you. First, the bad news:  if you are a member of the “as soon as” approach to finding happiness, you’ll never be happy for long.

But there’s good news.  Recent research shows that happiness can be learned, and it doesn’t require that you change anything in your life.   In my new book, “Find Happiness Now”  I reveal simple ways you can: Continue reading →

Posted in Books, How to Be Happy, How to Find Happiness, Jonathan Robinson | Tagged book, finding, Jonathan Robinson, life, love, manage, positive psychology

How to Create a Deep Intimate Experience with a Loved One

Jonathan Robinson, Finding Happiness Posted on February 10, 2014 by Jonathan RobinsonJanuary 16, 2023

Love coupleIn my book The Little Book of Big Questions I have a chapter called “The Spiritual Intimacy Experience.”  It consists of fifteen questions partners can ask each other in order to develop a deeper connection. I received many letters from people stating that answering these questions with their mate led to the most profound experience of intimacy they had ever had.

Since Valentine’s Day is coming up, I thought it timely to give you this method for quickly deepening your level of intimacy with a mate or a friend. Continue reading →

Posted in Being Present, Inspire Me Today, Positive Psychology | Tagged happiness, how to be happy, Jonathan Robinson, joy, life, love, partner

Top 10 Tips for Great Sleep…

Jonathan Robinson, Finding Happiness Posted on January 28, 2014 by Jonathan RobinsonJanuary 16, 2023

insomniaI’ve been reading recently about how important a good night’s sleep is for feeling happy during the day and being productive in life.  Unfortunately, about 30% of Americans suffer from chronic insomnia and/or sleep deprivation.   In our fast paced world, many people try to do with as little sleep as possible, but then end up suffering emotional and health effects from getting too little sleep.

In order to get a good night’s sleep, I’ve created a simple guide called “Ten Tips for a Good Night’s Sleep.”   By following its guidelines, my hope is that you’ll experience a better quality of sleep each night, as well as more productive and happier days due to having rested well.   Feel free to forward this on to people you care about who might want to improve their quality of sleep.   By resting well each night, you’ll be in good shape to handle whatever life throws at you….

Ten Tips for a Good Night’s Sleep:

  1. Make your bedroom conducive to sleep:  people sleep best in cool, dark, and quiet environments.   Use a sleep mask or whatever is necessary to create as dark a room as possible.
  2. Create a sleep inducing routine: try taking a bath or shower before bed, or read a book, or some other non-stressful activity before going to bed.
  3.  Avoid alcohol, caffeine, nicotine and energy drinks:  caffeine can keep you awake even 6 to 8 hours after it’s ingested, so be especially careful about “hidden” caffeine in soda, chocolate, tea, and pain relievers.
  4. Know how to use the light at night:  if possible, avoid highly lit screens an hour before going to bed, such as looking at a computer screen.  If you read before going to bed, make the light a little dim.
  5. Keep a consistent sleep schedule:  people sleep better when they go to sleep and wake up at roughly the same time each night and day.  Try to sleep an amount of hours that truly works for you (8 is recommended).
  6. Nap before 5pm, or not at all: if you like naps, try taking a nap for less than 30 minutes, and make it before 5pm.  If you still have trouble falling or staying asleep, try not napping and see how that affects your sleep.
  7.  Don’t eat a big evening meal: finish dinner several hours before you go to sleep, don’t eat anything an hour before bedtime, and avoid foods that can cause indigestion.
  8. Exercise early in the day:  While exercise during the day helps people to have a good night’s sleep, don’t exercise at least 3 hours before going to bed.
  9. Explore ways to quiet your mind: you can’t quickly stop a fast moving car; nor can you quickly stop a fast moving mind.  Therefore, have a way of relaxing and dealing with stress during your day—before your mind builds up too much momentum.
  10.  Avoid stimulating movies or TV before bed:  Emotionally intense movies or shows can make it very hard to fall asleep for a couple of hours afterwards.   Therefore, avoid such stimulation at least an hour before going to bed..

..and a Bonus Tip: Use what seems to work for you through trial and error:  this can include supplements such as melatonin or “Midnite or Valerian, or things specific to you.

 

Posted in Being Present, Mood, Overcoming Anxiety, Relaxing | Tagged happiness, inspire, Jonathan Robinson, joy, life, love, manage, sleep

How to Pray Without Ceasing

Jonathan Robinson, Finding Happiness Posted on November 26, 2013 by Jonathan RobinsonJanuary 16, 2023

heartWith Thanksgiving upon us, I thought it was a good idea to blog about giving thanks and the power of gratitude.  In my book The Experience of God, I asked each of the forty well-known spiritual leaders I interviewed about their favorite method of feeling closer to their Creator.  While the range of responses was surprising, the answer I heard more than any other was that of focusing on feeling grateful to God throughout the day.  As Ram Dass put it, “Gratitude opens your heart, and opening your heart is a wonderful and easy way for God to slip in.”

In Western culture, we often think of prayer as asking God for something.  Yet, in many spiritual traditions, prayer is primarily considered a way of thanking God for the blessings in one’s life.  Many years ago, I received an important lesson about “thankfulness prayer” from a Native American medicine man named Bear.   As a condition of being interviewed about his life, Bear requested we meet at a location sacred to his tribe.  Once there, he suggested that both of us begin by offering up a prayer to the Great Spirit.  My simple prayer was that our time together be well spent, and that it would serve our becoming closer to God.  The bear began his prayer in his native tongue, as I listened patiently.  After ten minutes of listening to the sounds of his tribal language, I began getting impatient.  After twenty minutes of listening to his prayer, I was secretly irritated. While I grew restless, Bear looked like he was soaring as high as the eagles that flew overhead. Finally, after fifty minutes, Bear finished speaking his words of prayer.

Trying to hide my sense of irritation, I began my interview by asking Bear, “What did you pray for?”  Bear’s calm reply was, “In my tribe, we don’t pray for anything.  We give thanks for all that the Great Spirit has given us.  In my prayers, I simply thanked Spirit for everything I can see around me.  I gave thanks to each and every tree I can see from here, each rock, each squirrel, the sun, the clouds, my legs, my arms, each bird that flew by, each breath I took, until I was finally in full alignment with the Great Spirit.”  It was clear to me that this man really knew how to pray.

thanksFrom Bear’s inspiration and the wisdom of many others

I’ve interviewed, I began trying this new method of prayer.  To make this form of prayer in my daily life, I began by simply saying, “Thank you God for (whatever is in my awareness).”  Sometimes I would “prime the pump” by first thanking God for things that are easy for me to feel grateful for.  For example, I might say, “Thank you for my health.  Thank you for such a beautiful day.  Thank you for my wonderful wife.”  Then, once I truly felt a sense of gratitude in my heart, I would use “thank you” as a “mantra” for whatever I was currently aware of.  For instance, if I was driving somewhere I might say, “Thank you for my car, thank you for my Iphone, thank you for this beautiful music, thank you for this nicely paved road, thank you for the man that just cut me off, thank you for the anger that he stirred up in me, thank you for the opportunity to practice forgiveness.”

The secret of this technique is to see all things as gifts given to us by God to enjoy or learn from.  Normally, we take virtually everything for granted, and rarely stop to appreciate the wonderful things we are given.  It can be eye opening to realize that even middle class folks of today live better than Kings lived just 100 years ago.  Yet, without the “thank you technique,” all the amenities of modern day life can go unappreciated.

ThankfulOnce you have used this method for awhile, you can even use it to begin to value things that are unpleasant.  In the example above, getting cut off by an aggressive driver was not my idea of a good time.  Yet, if I’m doing my “thank you” mantra, I’m more likely to see how such an event can serve me.  From a higher state of mind, I can see that this driver is helping me learn patience, compassion, and forgiveness—three things I’m not very good at.  Fortunately, there are many drivers and people who are willing to help me learn this lesson!  Thank you God for all that help.

Like any mantra or phrase that a person repeats, repeatedly saying “thank you” can build up a momentum of its own as you use it throughout the day.  However, it’s important that it doesn’t become a mechanical mental exercise.  With each thank you that is thought, it’s essential to feel a sense of appreciation in your heart for the gift you’ve been given.  Besides helping a person tune into an ecstatic feeling of gratitude, this method can also help a person become more aware and present in the eternal now.

 

Posted in Gratitude, Gratitude Journal, Gratitude List, Inspire Me Today, Jonathan Robinson | Tagged experience, finding, how to be happy, independence, inspire, Jonathan Robinson, joy, life, love, manage, prayer

How to Easily Overcome Disturbing Memories

Jonathan Robinson, Finding Happiness Posted on October 17, 2013 by Jonathan RobinsonJanuary 16, 2023

JRmemoriesDo bad memories or images ever haunt you?   Do you sometimes flash back to some of the most traumatic moments of your past?  For some reason, the human mind has a nasty tendency to forget important things like your mother’s birthday, but is more than happy to frequently remind you of the worst events of your life.  Fortunately, there’s an antidote to this glitch in the human bio-computer.  It’s called the Erasure Technique.  In a matter of a few minutes, this powerful method can virtually neutralize the bad feelings associated with almost anything you’ve ever experienced.  I’ve even used it with clients who have suffered from disturbing memories for many years.  Whether you want to neutralize images of a minor car accident or the hurt from the ending of a relationship, the erasure technique can make a dramatic difference in your life. Continue reading →

Posted in Depression, How to Be Happy, Key to Happiness, Mood, Positive Psychology | Tagged experience, finding, Jonathan Robinson, joy, love, overcoming self criticism, positive psychology

Positive Psychology Exercises

Jonathan Robinson, Finding Happiness Posted on May 21, 2013 by Jonathan RobinsonJanuary 16, 2023

86543081What would it be like if you found out that you had a million dollars in a secret bank account, but you didn’t know it? Wouldn’t that be great?  Well, in a certain way you do.  You have enormous riches locked within you in the form of positive feelings—such as love, gratitude, compassion, and joy.  The problem is, most people haven’t known how to access these feelings.  Yet, the new field of Positive Psychology has developed simple exercises that can help anyone feel greater levels of happiness.

For those who don’t know about Positive Psychology exercises, they’re simple methods that have mostly been developed by psychologist Dr. Marty Seligman.  According to numerous studies, these quick methods can greatly boost your level of happiness.   Since we’re all trying to be happier, having a “technology” that’s been shown to really work is cause for celebration. People currently use very inefficient methods of being happier—such as trying to make a lot of money or have fewer wrinkles.   While such things work a smidgen, Positive Psychology exercises have been proven to work much, much better in creating feelings of true well-being.

You may be wondering, if these simple exercises work so well, then why don’t more people know about them?  The reason is that there is not a lot of money to be made in teaching Positive Psychology exercises.  You can make a lot of money selling pills—such as antidepressants—but there is very little money to be made teaching exercises that change people’s lives.

For better or worse, that’s my job

168855775I sell (for very little money I might add), a systematic course in teaching people the best and most powerful ways to quickly boost their level of happiness.  There are over 30 methods in my Deeper Happiness course that have been shown to boost people’s level of happiness, and most of them take under three minutes a day to do.   That’s great news.  It’s like learning you had a million dollars lying around in the bank, but you didn’t know it.

Let me give you a couple of really quick examples of what I mean.  One Positive Psychologyexercise is to do a Gratitude Journal.  By writing down three things you feel grateful for during each day, your level of satisfaction with your life will gradually rise.  To “turbo charge” your Gratitude Journal, you could include a sentence on how something about you helped make each of those good things happen. For instance, let’s say that one of the things you were grateful for was a good conversation with a friend.  To make that statement even more powerful, you could say how your open heartedness helped you to create that experience.

Science often helps us discover things that seem to defy logic.  It makes no sense that a 50 ton airplane can fly, but it obviously can.  Likewise, it makes no sense that a simple 2 minute Positive Psychology exercise typically brings more joy into your life than if you suddenly doubled your income. But that’s what numerous studies have indicated.    As I said, not knowing about the potential power of Positive Psychology exercises is like not knowing you have a million dollars in your bank account.

Now that you know that Positive Psychology exercises can truly impact your life, you have to figure out what, if anything, to do about it.  Most people—because they have been hypnotized by their culture, will continue to put all their hope into finding happiness through ineffective means.  They’ll hope that more money changes their life, or hope that the next relationship will magically make them fulfilled.  Such endeavors will surely keep them busy, but are unlikely to help them discover the treasure of positive feelings living inside them.

Other people will do such things as read books about how to be happier

stk161282rkeAlthough such books contain valuable information, virtually no one uses what they read from books in a systematic manner in their daily life.  It’s just too big of a jump.  What’s needed is a simple, almost automatic way to be reminded to use Positive Psychology exercises in daily life.

That’s why I created the Deeper Happiness daily audio program for learning and using such exercises. In the program, a person listens to a fun 15-minute talk each morning before they get to work that details a great Positive Psychology exercise. Then, their task is to use that simple exercise sometime during their day.   I created the program so that people could really incorporate these great exercises into their daily lives.  Most the exercises take only 2 minutes a day to do, and the supplied reminder cards help a person to remember to do the exercises.

The typical result of doing these simple techniques days after day is that your life feels more purposeful, fun, joyous, and meaningful.  Soon, you learn which methods really work amazingly well for you, and which don’t seem like a good fit.  Once you find simple ways to help you quickly overcome negative feelings and tune into positive feelings, your life will never be the same.  It will be like finally having complete access to that secret bank account of riches.  You can even get the first three Positive Psychology exercises from the Deeper Happiness program for free here.  You’ll be amazed at how well these simple methods can improve the quality of your life, health, and relationships.

Posted in How to Be Happy, How to Find Happiness, Inspire Me Today, Jonathan Robinson, Key to Happiness | Tagged experience, fullest, happiness, Jonathan Robinson, joy, life, love, manage, positive psychology

I’d Love to Inspire You Today!

Jonathan Robinson, Finding Happiness Posted on February 19, 2013 by Jonathan RobinsonJanuary 16, 2023
Inspire Me Today

Inspire Me TodayI am very excited to share some great news with you. Today, I am the featured Inspirational Luminary on InspireMeToday.com, which allows me to share some of my wisdom with people around the world.

The Inspire Me Today website features “useful ideas” of a new Luminary every day, and I am honored to be chosen as one of them. On this site, you can read a brief article on a specific idea meant to inspire you and be truly useful in your life. Other Inspire Me Today picks have included Sir Richard Branson, Guy Laliberte, Seth Godin, Neale Donald Walsch, and many more.

Please visit the site on February 21st, 2013 and help me inspire the world. If my traffic and comments break records, InspireMeToday.com will share my content with millions of additional people too! I hope you’ll check it out, leave a comment and share it with your friends. To help you stay inspired, they also provide 3 minute ‘Today’s Brilliance’ pick-me-ups each day by email, by RSS feed or in an iPhone app.

From the folks at Inspire Me Today and from me, thank you in advance for your kind support. Together we really can inspire the world.

Be inspired,
Jonathan

Posted in Being Present, Inspire Me Today, Jonathan Robinson, Positive Psychology | Tagged finding, fullest, happiness, inspire, Joonathan Robinson, joy, life, love

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