I recently just finished reading the book The Practice of Happiness by John Kehoe, which is a book that I had lying on my shelf for years that I never bothered to look at until now.
I realized that I could experience so much more joy, happiness, and passion in my life. And whenever I feel I could have MORE of something in my life, I always seek out books and resources that can provide that for me. This book has shifted my focus in a major way and I was blown away by the impact it's had on my life.
Since reading The Practice of Happiness, I've felt EXTRAORDINARY each day. Its simple principles and lessons really opened my mind and changed the way I think. A lot of it is stuff I would say to myself, “I already know that!”, but there is a major difference between knowing and DOING.
John Kehoe shares his profound knowledge and experiences traveling the world – to India, South America, Asia – and shares all the lessons and secrets that he learned on his path to happiness, along with following some of the worlds greatest spiritual leaders.
John reveals a powerful lesson that he learned from someone along his journey, which is “the secret to happiness”.
And ultimately, what it comes down to is…
“If you want to be happy… be happy.”
And it's as simple as that! Happiness is a choice.
If you want to be happy, look at your life and find reasons to be happy. And if you want to be unhappy, you can find many reasons to be unhappy and focus on them.
Happiness exists within.
And YOU are the catalyst of your own happiness.
Each moment of your life is an opportunity to experience happiness, joy, gratitude, or passion. Each moment, each day is to be celebrated and honored.
Another profound concept from The Practice of Happiness, is…
“We can never be happy in the past or future, we can only be happy right now.”
John Kehoe talks about how NOW is where our life happens.
It is a mistake to put off being happy. And most of us live under the illusion that “one day I will be happy”, which is a lie that we tell ourselves. The truth is, for every desire you fulfill, more desires will come and take its place.
Happiness comes from embracing the journey and appreciating our life here and now.
Another powerful belief I got from John Kehoe in the Practice of Happiness, is to operate on the premise that ehings are going to work out, and they usually do. To trust life and trust the process. Believe that everything will happen for a reason and is there to serve us.
The book is also full of many inspirational, thought-provoking quotes, such as:
“Life will always support you when you surrender to the mystery of it.”
“It is not until the later stages of our life that we look back and see that everything had a purpose and meaning” ~ Joseph Campbell
“The basic difference between an ordinary man and a warrior is that a warrior takes everything as a challenge, while an ordinary man takes everything as a blessing or a curse.” ~ teachings of Don Juan
“The opportunity to become who we want lies in this very moments behaviour.” ~ David Reynolds
“Unless ye become as little children ye cannot enter the kingdom of heaven.” ~ The Bible
“Nothing is more therepeutic than a good laugh.” ~ Dr. Bernard Jensen
“Our life is a constant journey. Our journey consists of constant ups and downs, hope and fear, but it is a good journey.” ~ Chogyam Trungpa
These are just some of the few quotes that I wrote down from the book.
It's an incredible book – a quick read, but something that will stick with you for awhile.
I highly recommend The Practice of Happiness by John Kehoe.
I love reading, and will continue on sharing reviews of the other books and programs that I'm reading on a continual basis. This will be an important part of the blog!