The source of unlimited happiness is INSIDE each one of us

The July 20th issue of the Czech magazine Respekt brought a very interesting interview with renowned Czech psychologist and psychotherapist Lubomir Kobrle. The final question was about what chances a person has to attain full satisfaction in life. Kobrle's answer is one that speaks straight from my heart too: "Each being has an internal source in it that makes it possible for the being to be happy. And the question is whether one is successful in activating this source or not, which is a somewhat mysterious matter."

I love that quote and I personally believe that every being on Earth has the source of unlimited happiness right inside him or her. Yet paradoxically most of us do so much looking outside of ourselves for happiness - just take a look at how well the entertainment, pharmaceutical, tobacco and alcohol industries, just to name a few, are doing. But how do we begin looking inward and how do we activate this source?

Kobrle offers the following suggestions: "work on oneself, psychotherapy, important meetings with people...", "...also experiences during altered states of consciousness during holotropic breathwork." In short, begin by searching inwards, ideally with the guidance of someone who has plenty of experience in this type of work. Btw, earlier in this blog I had written that PBSP is one of the techniques that has totally transformed my life. Well, now I'd like to add that Holotropic Breathwork is the other technique. I am planning to write about this amazing technique soon. Meanwhile you may wish to check out its official website. Or read my posts on TaKeTiNa, Rolfing, Drama Triangle or Dynamind - all techniques that I have found extremely useful on the journey towards unlimited happiness.

I wish you much insight and joy on your journey towards the inner source of unlimited happiness!

Great things are sometimes built on simple but solid foundations

I love the video below. It contains several messages I really like, including the one in the title of this post. I also love the power of Wintley's presentation style!

Brilliant presentation on the excesses of Western culture

The link to this video came in Dan Millman's e-newsletter today and I liked it so much that I want to repost it here. Startling statistics, brilliant presentation. Even though the presentation is specific to the United States, I am quite sure it is applicable to virtually the entire Western world.

Manifestation of a mature personality

I came across a wonderful few sentences while waiting at a doctor's office in Prague today. They were in Czech, so the words below are my translation of them. I believe I am coming along on some of the ideas, but I still need to do a lot work on all of them. Like letting go more and more of the safety of seclusion or being more kind towards my own as well as others’ imperfections. Which ones do you need to work on most? May these words be a useful reminder from time to time.

A mature personality manifests itself by:

A warm relationship with oneself (self-acceptance) as well as things outside of the self.
Willingness to “expose” oneself to others and let go of the safety of seclusion.
Participating in the forming of close, intimate, kind-hearted relationships.
Openess to the differences of various worlds in which “the others” live.
Understanding for ourselves as well as others.
Tolerance of the incomprehensible in others.
Kindness towards our own as well as others’ imperfections.
Patience with our own as well as others’ limits.
Searching for ways that provide opportunities to meet with ourselves as well as others.

Original text by Tereza Kocourková

TaKeTiNa: learn to relax in chaos by reconnecting with primal rhythms

One of the most interesting personal growth practices that I have tried is the TaKeTiNa Rhythm Process, which is an amazing technique designed to allow us to reconnect with primal rhythms. Of all the practices I have tried, this is the one I wish I knew of back when I was trying my hand at becoming a professional tennis player. The reason is that everytime I used to get into a stressful situation in a match, I would tighten up, try harder, and as a result play worse. What TaKeTiNa does, in my opinion, is program the body for the opposite reaction: try less, relax in the stress or chaos, and become much more effective.
So how does this method work? According to the official website,

"TaKeTiNa is a unique process capable of activating human and musical potential through rhythm. TaKeTiNa conveys rhythm in such a way that people can absorb, understand, and learn in the most natural manner. Instead of being taught random rhythmic patterns, TaKeTiNa guides its participants directly into the experience of primal rhythmic movements-that are anchored in the sensory-motoric system of every human being. This underlying rhythmic foundation expresses itself through music in every culture. In TaKeTiNa, the body is the main instrument. The experience is therefore direct, intense and lasting."

So if you're feeling that learning how to relax in chaos could be beneficial for your personal growth and / or happiness journey, I highly recommend that you check out the TaKeTiNa website, learn more about the process, and sign up for the next workshop taking place in your area. May the rhythm be with you!

Positive affirmations make some people feel worse

There is a great article on Macleans.ca titled "The powerlessness of positive thinking - Self-affirming statements actually make some people feel worse". The article presents research supporting the thesis that positive thinking is not as effective in improving self-esteem as some popular self-help authors would like readers to believe. I fully agree with the researchers that "focusing on positive thinking" is not the way to increase self-esteem or become happier. I believe that this is because a positive affirmation addresses the present, whereas the low esteem or tendency to think negatively is rooted in the past, usually the deep past.
Personally I've seen my self-esteem increase with the use of PBSP, about which I've written in an earlier post. And I believe that the reason PBSP works is precisely because it deals with self-esteem or negative thinking at the time when the roots of the issues begin - usually between the ages of 0-3.
Returning to the article, I do not agree with the researchers' statement that "...if you can find a loving, supportive partner that’s probably the best possibility for your self-esteem". In fact, I think that's a bit of a dangerous statement because that would make one's self esteem conditional on something, or someone, else. And like happiness, I believe you can't have self-esteem dependent on anything outside of yourself. In addition, increased self-esteem because of a partner could also lead to all kinds of co-dependency issues in a relationship, as per the Drama Triangle, also discussed in an earlier post.

I'll be on a fully off-line vacation until July 5

Just a brief note that I will be on vacation from tomorrow until July 5. Since I firmly believe that vacation should be fully off-line, I will not make any posts until I return. In the meantime I would like to encourage you to have as much off-line time as possible (no Internet, cell phones...), even if it's just for a few hours on a Sunday. Have a great June and I'll look forward to posting more happiness and joy inspiration in early July.