For many, getting in touch with that elusive thing called "happiness" is rarely simple—and achieving any kind of lasting happiness can feel like an insurmountable challenge. Perhaps what we need is an education on the subject . . . A Course in Happiness. In this book, Mardi Horowitz draws on more than forty years of experience as a practicing psychiatrist to provide readers with just this.
According to Dr. Horowitz, happiness is essentially a by-product of self-knowledge; in order to be happy, we need to understand who we truly are. In A Course in Happiness, he details a deeply rewarding course in mastering the three levels of self-understanding that underlie happiness:
Integration: the ability to assemble all the pieces of one's self into a whole, complete, understood, and respected "me."
Intimacy: the capacity to remain closely connected to the warmth of relationships with family, friends, colleagues, and others in a social community.
Integrity: the insight to know which of one's values are most dear and which are lower in priority—and then to be true to what is the most important, even in the midst of conflict.
A Course in Happiness offers a road map for achieving genuine and lasting contentment.
https://www.amazon.com/Course-Happiness-Mastering-Self-Understanding-Lasting/dp/1585427802
INTRODUCTION
(Page 1 of 18)
If you're happy and you know it, clap your hands.
I love this nursery school song. It brings a smile to my face and lifts my spirits every time I hear it. The simple lyrics and catchy tune teach small children and us, those with young at heart, the important skill of recognising and acknowledging good feelings within themselves. For adults, getting in touch with a sense of happiness is rarely so simple -- and achieving a lasting happiness can be extremely elusive or unattainable no matter how much it may appear that someone "has it all."
I've worked with thousands of individuals as they've searched for greater meaning and happiness in their lives. While some struggled to heal from terrible tragedies and conditions and to recover a zest for living, many others strived simply to master the ordinary stresses of life or grappled to understand a mystifying, underlying discontent.
(Page 2 of 18)
Through the years I have met countless people who have had all the outward manifestations of success yet were still searching for the "golden key" that would unlock the secret to enduring inner satisfaction. What I have found is that there in no "golden key" to the achievement of happiness; there is only the hard work of creating the type of inner peace that underlies it. And what is the raw material from which this inner peace is built? In a word: self-knowledge. Know thyself. To grasp who we are and what is most important to us in this life.
There is an old saying that the mind is like a muscle. With constant exercise, it can build both strength and skill, and, with exercise, it can lead us to happiness. Putting our internal house in order can be hard work, but it is the most important work of all.
With this book-on-blog I invite yo to make the choice to see all that lies within you, to believe that you can have a heart full of peace and a happy life no matter what your history or your current circumstances or what may be awaiting you in your future. I am not saying your life will be always blissful or problems free. I am saying that you CAN find a stable, serene center within yourself and live a life that you can honestly label as wonderful.
The Road To Self-Discovery
This book is comprised of a series of lessons, a virtual course in the achievement of happiness. Lesson by lesson, step by step, it will introduce you to a process of thinking about yourself, your goals, and your choices. A long the way ..... (click here and continue reading Page 3 of 18 ...)
INTRODUCTION (PAGE 8 OF 18)
FINDING CLARITY
In youth, all of us view the world through a distorted prism. That's the nature of childhood. Unlucky kids — those who were hurt by tragic events, damaged by emotional or physical abuse, or struggled with hardships — tend to see the world through an overly pessimistic lens, full of potential storms, dark and gray. Whereas lucky kids — those who enjoyed wonderful, protected, emotionally healthy childhoods — tend to view life through an overly optimistic lens. All they survey is rosy, full of sunshine and limitless opportunities.
As adults, we all need to find our way to realistic thinking. Clearing the mind of both excessive pessimism and excessive optimism is one of the central principles discussed here. If asked to choose, I'd say that over optimism is the better weakness. A happy frame of mind fortifies morale and helps us cope better in life. It is the way we human have survived. But a crystal-clear lens serves us best always and at any age.
As an expert in stress, trauma, and adult personality development, I'm familiar with every approach to psychotherapy. Research has shown the value of cognitive work to produce positive changes in the lives of many individuals. But research has also shown the key importance of the deeper sources within the psyche that establish a sense of solid balance, a coherence of self, and an ability to form significant and lasting attachment to others. To overcome unhappiness, it's necessary to change beliefs and thinking, and I fully appreciate the value of cognitive therapy in this respect.
Page 9 to 13 (click here and continue reading Page 9 to 13 ...)
Page 14 of 18.
Again and again in my work I've seen that there can be extraordinary happiness even under the grimmest circumstances, and that afternoon I experienced it for myself. And later, as a widower, I reconfirmed another truth that I had often seen in my patients' lives. No story is without beauty and hope, even when it includes the wrenching loss of a beloved.
It takes courage, stamina, and inner work to hold on to equanimity in the face of events that bring the spirit close to the edge of despair. And although to some people this may sound Pollyannaish*, through my work and my personal experience, I know it is a realistic, optimistic view, not an illusion. [*When you put a positive spin on everything, even things that call for sadness or discouragement, you're being pollyannaish. The word comes from a 1913 children's book by Eleanor H. Porter, Pollyanna, about a young girl who tries to find something positive in every situation — a trick she calls "the Glad Game."] For young and old alike, thoughts and emotions rush into overdrive when a traumatic event occurs without warning. In hte face of an unexpected new crisis, our minds tumble and spin in a rushing loop of images, often accompanied by pangs of painful emotion. These are not calm states of mind! Some spiritual philosophies and cognitive therapies that include mindfulness training are helpful for focusing on the present moment, without preoccupation with the past or worry about the future. Such mental discipline is valuable because it calms the mind.
According to Dr. Horowitz, happiness is essentially a by-product of self-knowledge; in order to be happy, we need to understand who we truly are. In A Course in Happiness, he details a deeply rewarding course in mastering the three levels of self-understanding that underlie happiness:
Integration: the ability to assemble all the pieces of one's self into a whole, complete, understood, and respected "me."
Intimacy: the capacity to remain closely connected to the warmth of relationships with family, friends, colleagues, and others in a social community.
Integrity: the insight to know which of one's values are most dear and which are lower in priority—and then to be true to what is the most important, even in the midst of conflict.
A Course in Happiness offers a road map for achieving genuine and lasting contentment.
https://www.amazon.com/Course-Happiness-Mastering-Self-Understanding-Lasting/dp/1585427802
INTRODUCTION
(Page 1 of 18)
If you're happy and you know it, clap your hands.
I love this nursery school song. It brings a smile to my face and lifts my spirits every time I hear it. The simple lyrics and catchy tune teach small children and us, those with young at heart, the important skill of recognising and acknowledging good feelings within themselves. For adults, getting in touch with a sense of happiness is rarely so simple -- and achieving a lasting happiness can be extremely elusive or unattainable no matter how much it may appear that someone "has it all."
I've worked with thousands of individuals as they've searched for greater meaning and happiness in their lives. While some struggled to heal from terrible tragedies and conditions and to recover a zest for living, many others strived simply to master the ordinary stresses of life or grappled to understand a mystifying, underlying discontent.
(Page 2 of 18)
Through the years I have met countless people who have had all the outward manifestations of success yet were still searching for the "golden key" that would unlock the secret to enduring inner satisfaction. What I have found is that there in no "golden key" to the achievement of happiness; there is only the hard work of creating the type of inner peace that underlies it. And what is the raw material from which this inner peace is built? In a word: self-knowledge. Know thyself. To grasp who we are and what is most important to us in this life.
There is an old saying that the mind is like a muscle. With constant exercise, it can build both strength and skill, and, with exercise, it can lead us to happiness. Putting our internal house in order can be hard work, but it is the most important work of all.
With this book-on-blog I invite yo to make the choice to see all that lies within you, to believe that you can have a heart full of peace and a happy life no matter what your history or your current circumstances or what may be awaiting you in your future. I am not saying your life will be always blissful or problems free. I am saying that you CAN find a stable, serene center within yourself and live a life that you can honestly label as wonderful.
The Road To Self-Discovery
This book is comprised of a series of lessons, a virtual course in the achievement of happiness. Lesson by lesson, step by step, it will introduce you to a process of thinking about yourself, your goals, and your choices. A long the way ..... (click here and continue reading Page 3 of 18 ...)
INTRODUCTION (PAGE 8 OF 18)
FINDING CLARITY
In youth, all of us view the world through a distorted prism. That's the nature of childhood. Unlucky kids — those who were hurt by tragic events, damaged by emotional or physical abuse, or struggled with hardships — tend to see the world through an overly pessimistic lens, full of potential storms, dark and gray. Whereas lucky kids — those who enjoyed wonderful, protected, emotionally healthy childhoods — tend to view life through an overly optimistic lens. All they survey is rosy, full of sunshine and limitless opportunities.
As adults, we all need to find our way to realistic thinking. Clearing the mind of both excessive pessimism and excessive optimism is one of the central principles discussed here. If asked to choose, I'd say that over optimism is the better weakness. A happy frame of mind fortifies morale and helps us cope better in life. It is the way we human have survived. But a crystal-clear lens serves us best always and at any age.
As an expert in stress, trauma, and adult personality development, I'm familiar with every approach to psychotherapy. Research has shown the value of cognitive work to produce positive changes in the lives of many individuals. But research has also shown the key importance of the deeper sources within the psyche that establish a sense of solid balance, a coherence of self, and an ability to form significant and lasting attachment to others. To overcome unhappiness, it's necessary to change beliefs and thinking, and I fully appreciate the value of cognitive therapy in this respect.
Page 9 to 13 (click here and continue reading Page 9 to 13 ...)
Page 14 of 18.
Again and again in my work I've seen that there can be extraordinary happiness even under the grimmest circumstances, and that afternoon I experienced it for myself. And later, as a widower, I reconfirmed another truth that I had often seen in my patients' lives. No story is without beauty and hope, even when it includes the wrenching loss of a beloved.
It takes courage, stamina, and inner work to hold on to equanimity in the face of events that bring the spirit close to the edge of despair. And although to some people this may sound Pollyannaish*, through my work and my personal experience, I know it is a realistic, optimistic view, not an illusion. [*When you put a positive spin on everything, even things that call for sadness or discouragement, you're being pollyannaish. The word comes from a 1913 children's book by Eleanor H. Porter, Pollyanna, about a young girl who tries to find something positive in every situation — a trick she calls "the Glad Game."] For young and old alike, thoughts and emotions rush into overdrive when a traumatic event occurs without warning. In hte face of an unexpected new crisis, our minds tumble and spin in a rushing loop of images, often accompanied by pangs of painful emotion. These are not calm states of mind! Some spiritual philosophies and cognitive therapies that include mindfulness training are helpful for focusing on the present moment, without preoccupation with the past or worry about the future. Such mental discipline is valuable because it calms the mind.
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