Year Two, Day 85: Sharing the Happy!

Day 5 of my "Happiness Way".

Today I focused on replacing anxiety with peaceful thoughts.  I am on chapter 9 in The Power of Positive Thinking by Norman Vincent Peale. The title of this chapter is "How to Break the Worry Habit".  Written with me in mind, no doubt. Although Mr. Peale wrote this book roughly 10 years before I was born!

I had a sad thought this afternoon as I was walking to a piano student's house.  I would have liked to have met Norman or at least to have written him a letter (or an email) and share with him how much I am benefiting from his book. I would like to have told him that I tried to read it when I was much younger, but his words fell on the hard rocky rebellion of my youth rather than the fertile soil of my much wiser, mature, receptive years.

But I can't meet him. I can't write to him.  Norman Vincent Peale died in 1993. My daughter was 3 years old. My son was 1.  And I'm sure I was a ball of anxiety.

And who really knows how long we are blessed with our lives?

I personally do not want to waste one more moment worrying!

I have always struggled with anxiety.  When I was young, they called me "shy".  When I played piano recitals, it was "stage fright". In relationships it was "low self esteem". Oh, and there was the ominous "fear of public speaking".

Whatever you want to call it.  It was anxiety. With a capital "A" as in awful!

So, it was with great pleasure that I dove into the first paragraph of chapter 9:

"You do not need to be a victim of worry. Reduced to its simplest form, what is worry? It is simply an unhealthy and destructive mental habit. You were not born with the worry habit. You acquired it. And because you can change any habit and any acquired attitude, you can cast worry from your mind."

The Power of Positive Thinking, Norman Vincent Peale

Already I am reaping the benefits of positive thought.  It is taking a lot of work undoing 54 years of Eeyore mode. But it is getting a little easier with each step.

Being aware of my thoughts and not following them is what I have been working on.  If I catch myself having a negative thought, and then pursuing it or reacting to it, I stop.  I inhale. I repeat Philippians 4:13: "I can do all things through Christ who strengthens me".  

Then I repeat my happiness way: 

"The way to happiness:

Keep your heart free from hate, your mind from worry.

Live simply, expect little, give much.

Fill your life with love.

Scatter sunshine.

Forget self, think of others.

Do as you would be done by.

Try this for a week and you will be surprised"\.

~The Power of Positive Thinking, Norman Vincent Peale, 1952

What is even more wonderful than experiences more positivity myself is being able to share the happy with my family!

In fact, there were more quotes I wanted to share with you, my readers, but my daughter borrowed my book. She took it to bed.

Ah, but there is always tomorrow.  

And I am looking forward to it!

Happy Tuesday!