10/01/2017
“Richness has nothing to do with monetary wealth. The richest person is the one with a cool mind, free of tension and anxiety. Changing all the current situations in our world is not in our hands. We are not going to stop all these things. But what is in our hands is the ability to find joy and peace right here and now. If we live in the present, even though the whole world might blow up in a minute, it won’t bother us. We can be happy in situations of tension. If we have decided to be happy, nobody can make us unhappy. Anything might happen. An earthquake might decimate the entire world, but we need not bother about the future. Nor should we worry about the past. It has already gone. To be happy this minute is in our hands.
“We are not going to change the whole world, but we can change ourselves and feel free as birds. We can be serene even in the midst of calamities and, by our serenity, make others more tranquil. Serenity is contagious. If we smile at someone, he or she will smile back. And a smile costs nothing. We should plague everyone with joy. If we are to die in a minute, why not die happily, laughing?
“But a carefree life is possible only with a well-controlled mind, one that is free of anxiety, one without personal desires or possessions.” —Sri Swami Satchidanananda from The Yoga Sutras of Patanjali
So, what are my thoughts on these quotes?
We should not worry about the past; 2016 is done—put a fork in it.
We all have the power to find joy and peace right now. I don’t know about you, but I’m choosing to be happy in 2017, to have the time of my life, and look for the potential in all things.
I’m going to smile a lot and make myself and others laugh, and, hopefully, it will be contagious enough to start a plague of joy!
Wishing you a year filled with serenity, laughter, joy, and lots of yoga!
