The Alphabet of Happiness: Z

I hope you found yesterday’s post regarding Yelling, Yoga, and Youthfulness to be helpful. If you just joined this journey, be sure to take the time to go back and read from the beginning. Today, we wrap up this 26-day journey together as we discuss the letter “Z”.

ZigZag, Zealous, Zen

ZigZag

What is a zigzag? It is one of a series of short sharp turns, angles, or alterations in a course. I think of a narrow and windy road in the countryside. The lanes are seemingly cut between the vegetation and hillsides. As I maneuver each turn I don’t know what lays ahead.

Isn’t our life the same way? I have never met anyone who has had a perfect life, a clear path, a steady pace, and no obstacles along their journey. The fact is there is no such thing. Your life is full of zigzags. In most cases, you can’t prepare for them and you can’t avoid them.

How to Maneuver a ZigZag in your life.

As much as you prepare for the unknown, zigzags happen. What is important is how you decide to handle them. If you choose to react harshly and possibly overreact, they are going to be even more difficult. At any given moment in a day, your life can change…good or bad.

The more you practice healthy coping skills when you’re doing well, the easier it is to use those skills when life finds you in the dumps. As I previously mentioned, you can’t always predict the difficult times in your life, but you can learn how to deal with them such that they don’t send you down into a spiral of unhappiness. Refer to previous posts about how you can handle those difficult times.

Zealous

Have you ever been involved in a project/fundraiser/event of some kind? Were you really excited about what you were doing? Did you work extra hard and with much enthusiasm? Did you feel passionate about what you were doing? If you have experienced these types of feelings, then I would describe you as being zealous.

This isn’t a word that we hear used very much. However, zealous means, “filled with or showing a strong and energetic desire to get something done or see something succeed.”

If you don’t feel as though this describes you at any point in your life, I bet you can think of someone it does. What if I told you that you need to be zealous about your life to be truly happy? Well, it’s true.

When you’re considering a way to be happier and to feel more fulfilled in life, approach it with zeal. Whatever strategy, skill, or tool you use, take it to 100%. Approach it with a lot of energy and positivity. Don’t start thinking about the possible ways it’s going to fail or the ways it’s not going to help.

It’s true that not everything we do and try in life is going to work out. But, if you approach everything with this hesitation and doubt, then it’s doomed to fail. Instead, go forth with a “success” mindset. Go forward with things in your life with the assumption they are going to at least be helpful. It’s more than just what you think, though. Put that positive energy into action! As Nike says, “Just Do It.”

Zen

Zen is a “Japanese sect of Mahayana Buddhism that aims at enlightenment by direct intuition through meditation.” During meditation, the meditator works to regulate the mind, awareness is directed towards counting or watching the breath or by bringing that awareness to the energy center below the navel. In doing so the meditator strives to be aware of the stream of thoughts, allowing them to arise and pass away without interference.

Zen is a powerful meditative state.

In a previous post, we talked about using “mindful breathing” as a way to achieve peace in your life. However, experiencing zen is much more than just being mindful of your breathing. This is a state of complete calmness, tranquility, and inner peacefulness.

Wow! This is so much more than just going to your “happy place.” There are thousands of videos on Youtube that can guide you through this meditative practice. If you’re struggling to find happiness in your life, I highly encourage you to give this a try.

This brings us to the conclusion of this alphabet journey to happiness. It has been extremely rewarding for me. I hope, as you have read through previous posts, you have been able to find at least one idea that will work to help you find happiness in your life. I encourage you to go back and read previous posts. If you have yet to find your own how or why to happiness, I strongly believe you will.

Thank you for visiting. I would love to hear your feedback regarding this post as well as your thoughts about the entire journey.

Copyright © Julie Corbett 2017