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If You’re Happy and You Know It…

September 9, 2012 0 Comments

I wish you could have been a fly on the wall in our home yesterday.  There was lots of singing, dancing, and being silly.  I felt like a kid again.  The day certainly didn’t start off this way though.  I was doing fine for the first few hours, but then all hell broke loose.  It was like my sons made a vow to do the opposite of everything I told them to do.  They thought it was hilarious.  I was about to pull my hair out.  I totally lost my cool.  I felt like I had done all I could to get them to settle down.  I was exhausted and ready to give up and just let them watch some TV (which I try to limit). 

In that moment of defeat, my Inner Voice said, “If you’re happy and you know it clap your hands.”  I started singing it immediately and, within minutes, felt a significant shift in my mood and theirs.   I kept singing it over and over, and by the time I got to, “If you’re happy and you know it, shout ‘hooray,'” I was smiling from ear to ear.  Beaming.  I was having a blast.  My inner child was completely released and merging with my boys.  The boys were having so much fun and didn’t want to stop singing, so we went on to sing a few more songs together (“Head, shoulders, knees & toes“, etc.) until we were all tired. 

I was totally present – completely letting go of any thoughts about what I needed to read or chores that needed to be done around the house.  I let go of my desire to have them sit down and be quiet.  And I let go of my embarrassment about the boys not listening to me.  I went from exasperation to elation in less than 5 minutes just by simply being present and positively affirming a new feeling – happiness.  I wish I could say this was all intentional, but this definitely came from deeper within.  I am so grateful for hearing, and adhering to, the Voice for God in that moment. 

This happened a few hours after I live streamed a workshop led by Louise Hay and Cheryl Richardson entitled, “You Can Create an Exceptional Life.”  It reminded me to affirm what I want to create in my life.  Looking back, I see that I unconsciously created the mood I wanted to experience in that moment.  It worked then and I know it will work in any moment. 

What situation in your own life is draining your energy?  What can you affirm now to help move to a state of happiness, peace, joy, and love? 

Now, I will share that I have had an issue with the idea of affirmations in the past.  I’ve felt like I’m just lying to myself and pretending I feel differently than I actually do.  What has helped me to bridge the gap this year is forgiveness of myself for whatever negative feelings I was experiencing.  Forgiving myself for the way I was perceiving the person or circumstance I believed to be causing my disturbance.  I then, coming from a place of peace, affirm what I want to replace the old thought with.  My affirmation after this situation yesterday was:

Like fireworks, I am bursting with light.  I bring joy to all I encounter.  I let my light shine! 

Later in the day, I was feeling drained and the boys were getting a little out of control again.  I turned on the Music Choice channel and declared it was “dance party time.”    I was going back and forth between the “Throwback Jams” and “Hip-Hop Classics” channel which are two of my favorites because they play the songs that were popular when I was growing up.  We were jamming.  I tried to teach my 3-year old to do the “roger rabbit”,  the “running man”, the “cabbage patch” and “the wop” (for those who don’t know, these dances were popular in the 80s).  It was hilarious!  My husband even joined in the fun.  Next time, I will have to remember to capture it on video.  Until then, here’s a video of one of the songs that came on yesterday that we were all grooving to (pay particular attention to the guys dancing – this will give you a sense of what was going on in our living room ;-)). 

The old me would have had an attitude for the day and been a drag for the whole family to be around.  I’m so grateful for yet another reminder to live in the light!  Keep shining!

“Deny the ability for anything not of God to affect you” ~A Course in Miracles

~Kandace

Filed in: Inner Peace

About the Author:

I used to live life shackled by fear, doubt, and worry. I put on a happy face while navigating my day-to-day duties, but I was emotionally drained, stressed, and unhappy. When I hit rock bottom, and was diagnosed with depression and anxiety, I was determined to live life differently. I knew there had to be another way. Out of that determination, and guidance from Spirit, the "Living in the Light" blog was born. It documents my spiritual journey out of the darkness and into the Light. After nine months of publicly sharing my journey, and consciously releasing my attachment to the ego, I experienced a powerful spiritual awakening. I went from living in fear, doubt, worry, and stress to complete inner peace. My greatest passion has become assisting others on their own journey to inner peace. My spiritual memoir, From Stress to Peace: An Intimate Journal on the Journey from Living in Darkness to Living in the Light, is available now on Amazon and BN.com. Click the tabs at the top of the page to learn more about the From Stress to Peace 21-Day Challenge, Living in the Light Retreats, 1:1 sessions, and the Living in the Light Community - all of which are designed to support your journey to inner peace. I appreciate you taking the time to visit the blog and look forward to supporting you in any way I can!