Well I'll Be a Blue-Nosed Gopher...Practicing Happiness Now!

John Webb

Description

It's time for a new approach to how to be happy!

As a jazz musician, author, and recently retired professor of music, Dr. John Webb affirms that to be good at anything requires regular practice, so why not practice the principles of happiness? With a humorous approach to the question of how to be happy and issues that can threaten your well-being, along with entertaining cartoons by Sarah Bausinger, Dr. Webb offers forty-three "Happiness Steps" to help you cope with today's challenging world.

Dr. Webb shares the story of his wife, Toni, who, after a traumatic brain injury that caused severe memory loss, began calling herself a "blue-nosed gopher." Toni shows us how happiness can be achieved on a daily basis by living in the now and appreciating the simple things in life.

You'll also learn:

• how to live your life the way you want it
• how to put time on your side
• how to be more positive 
• how to tame that dangerous ego
• how to how to manage stress and overcome adversity!

With even a little practice, happier and more meaningful days are possible. You can cultivate new principles of happiness, learn to practice better stress management, and have a better NOW-and be a blue-nosed gopher!

Sujets

• Santé et bien-être
• Bien-être émotionnel
• Bien-être émotionnel
• Bien-être
• Bien-être
• Bien-être
• Bien-être
• Happiness
• Self-help
• Stress management
• Positive Thinking...
• Personal Growth

Informations

• Publié par: Practicing Happiness Now
• Date de parution: 14 juillet 2021
• Nombre de lectures: 3
• EAN13: 9780578877730
• Langue: English
• Poids de l'ouvrage: 6 Mo

Extrait

Well I’ll Be A Blue-Nosed Gopher…Practicing Happiness Now! © 2020
This is a work of non-fiction.
Text set in Gill Sans.
Copyright © 2020 PRACTICING HAPPINESS NOW LLC
Cover and book design by Mae I Design & Photography
Edited by Sarah Fox
Illustrated by Sarah Bausinger
ISBN: 978-0-578-87773-0

All rights reserved.
No part of this book may be reproduced in any form or by any electronic or mechanical means, including information storage and retrieval systems, without written permission from the author, except for the use of brief quotations in a book review.

“The Times They Are a-Changin’.” Words and music by Bob Dylan. Copyright © 1963, 1964 by Warner Bros. Inc.; renewed 1991, 1992 by Special Rider Music. All rights reserved.
International copyright secured. Reprinted by permission.
Excerpts from “GARFIELD © 1982 Paws, Inc.” Reprinted with permission of ANDREWS McMEEL SYNDICATION. All rights reserved.
Excerpts from “The Adventures of Spin & Marty.” Copyright © 1955.

Reprinted with permission of Disney Enterprises, Inc. All rights reserved.
Contents
Be a Blue-Nosed Gopher!
Introduction: Why Do We Need a Book on Practicing Happiness?
Why Me?
Section One: Who the Heck Am I?
Chapter One: Happiness Is…What?
A Mood or a State of Mind?
What “Creates” Happiness?
What Does Happiness Feel Like?
Myths of Enlightenment and Bliss
Addictions? Not Me!
Chapter Two: Taking the Time to Connect
Quiet Time Is Essential Time
Setting Up Your Quiet Time to Work for You
About Practicing!
Happiness Step One: Meditations
Chapter Three: Knowing Who You Really Are
Connecting to Our Higher Purposes
Who Am I? The Higher Self
Happiness Step Two: Discovering Your True Nature
Happiness Step Three: The Real You
Chapter Four: Letting Go…
Loving and Forgiving Yourself
Happiness Step Four: Letting Go of the Baggage
The Emotional Nature
Happiness Step Five: Releasing Negative Emotions from Childhood
Chapter Five: Being Your Higher Self
What Do You Love to Do?
Happiness Step Six: Doing What You Love
Happiness Step Seven: Keeping Score
A Perfect Day—A Perfect Life
Happiness Step Eight: Have a Perfect Day
Section Two: Thought + Action = Transformation
Chapter Six: Thought Management—Who’s in Control?
Elegant Mansion or Garbage Dump?
Happiness Step Nine: What Are You Thinking?
Happiness Step Ten: Positive or Negative Thoughts?
Unlimited Thinking Brings Unlimited Results!
Happiness Step Eleven: What I Want More of in Life
Chapter Seven: Trusting Your Thoughts!
Intuition—Use it or Abuse it?
Acting on Your Intuition
Happiness Step Twelve: Practicing Intuition
Chapter Eight: Get a Life — The Way You Want It!
Personal Goals: Defining What You Really Want in Life
Working Hard or Hardly Working?
Too Much of a Good Thing
Making Space vs. Taking Up Space
Happiness Step Thirteen: What I Really Want
Chapter Nine: Turning Dust into Gold
Our “Perfect” Imperfections
The Champion Procrastinator
Happiness Step Fourteen: The Truth Is...
Transforming the “Fairy Tale”
Happiness Step Fifteen: Prioritizing
What If?
For Your Wallet or Purse
Chapter Ten: You Can Get There from Here (Sooner Than You Might Think)
Shortcuts to Your Goals
Happiness Step Sixteen: Shortcuts! Getting There Sooner
Additional Goal Time-Savers
Happiness Step Seventeen: Follow Through with your Goals!
Section Three: Put Time on Your Side!
Chapter Eleven: Time Passes and Time's Past
The Nature of Time
Happiness Step Eighteen: Time-Saving or Squandering?
Freeing Ourselves from the Past
Happiness Step Nineteen: Movin' On
Chapter Twelve: Is the Present “Now” or Is Now the “Present”?
“Well I’ll Be a Blue-Nosed Gopher!”
Choosing Now
Enjoy Your “Present”
Happiness Step Twenty: Your "Now" Moments
Indian Time
Quality Time
Chapter Thirteen: The Uncertain Future
Whose Agenda are We Following, Anyway?
Happiness Step Twenty-One: Good Riddance to Weak Verbiage!
Uncertainty Shouldn’t Be Uncomfortable
Happiness Step Twenty-Two: A Happier Future
Section Four: Embracing Endless Energy
Chapter Fourteen: Energy—Got Some?
The Energy around Us
How’s Your Energy Level?
Happiness Step Twenty-Three: Energy Check!
Directing and Exchanging Energy
Chapter Fifteen: Overcoming Energy Blockers and Drainers
Meteor Showers and Black Holes
Unnecessary Activities
Poor Pacing or Timing of Your Energy
Here’s to Your Health
Chapter Sixteen: Subtle Energy-zappers
Fear and Doubt (Again!)
How Attachments Rob Energy
The Energy Void
Happiness Step Twenty-Four: Unclogging the Drain!
Chapter Seventeen: Are We Having “Fun” Yet?
Relearning How to Have Fun
Humor Yourself!
No Time for Fun? R.I.P.
Happiness Step Twenty-Five: Lightin' the Fire or Chillin' Out?
Section Five: Ego Check!
Chapter Eighteen: I’m Not an Egomaniac! (Now Get Out of My Way!)
Seeing Ego for What It Really Is
Fear of Losing Control
Did I “Win” or “Lose”?
Chapter Nineteen: More Ego Tricks
The Know-It-All
Pity
Our Image vs. Who We Really Are
The “Need” for Praise
Taming the Beast
Happiness Step Twenty-Six: Ego Check!
Happiness Step Twenty-Seven: Happiness Weather Report
Chapter Twenty: Rising Above the Muck
Chasing Happiness or Running From it?
Discovering “Enoughness”
Compassion
Happiness Step Twenty-Eight: Ego-Squelching Activities
Chapter Twenty-One: Perfect Life—Perfect Problems
Abundance
Happiness Step Twenty-Nine: Facing Adversity
Chapter Twenty-Two: More Garbage to the Dumpster
Lightening the Load
Happiness Step Thirty: Morphing Attachments into Preferences
Happiness Step Thirty-One: Don't Worry!
Chapter Twenty-Three: Judge Not, Want Not
Impartiality
Happiness Step Thirty-Two: Just Being
Happiness Step Thirty-Three: Erasing Disappointment
Chapter Twenty-Four: Seeing the Big Picture
Unity
Happiness Step Thirty-Four: Showing Compassion and Love
Happiness Step Thirty-Five: Saying Thanks
Happiness Step Thirty-Six: A Little Self-Analysis
Section Six: Casting Off the Chains of Negativity
Chapter Twenty-Five: Potential Wreckage
Battling the Negative Emotions
Hatred
Anger, Impatience
Happiness Step Thirty-Seven: Dousing the Fire
Chapter Twenty-six: Subtle Trickiness
Sadness
Guilt
Greed
Pride
Low Self-Esteem
Jealousy
Happiness Step Thirty-Eight: Overcoming
Chapter Twenty-Seven: Turning the Light Back On
Fear and Doubt
Stress
Happiness Step Thirty-Nine: Washing Away the Dirt
Collecting Tumbleweeds?
Chapter Twenty-Eight: We Don’t Have Forever…
Our Certain Future
The Nature of Death
Chapter Twenty-Nine: Let’s Face It…
Fear of Death
Happiness Step Forty: It's Your Funeral
Consequences of Ignoring Death
Chapter Thirty: Have a Good Journey…
Preparing for Death
Happiness Step Forty-One: Meditations about That Exceptional Moment
First Meditation
Second Meditation
Third Meditation
Fourth Meditation
Before Birth/After Death
Happiness Step Forty-Two: Remember Me!
Section Seven: Happiness Matters!
Chapter Thirty-One: Practicing Happiness Makes a Difference!
Collective Happiness
Taking Care of Each Other
Peace—More than a Word
Chapter Thirty-Two: The Quest for Reality
Getting Closer to Reality
Happiness Step Forty-Three: Making a Difference
Happiness Steps Locator
Acknowledgments
References
About the Author
A NOTE FROM THE AUTHOR
Practicing Happiness in a Pandemic?
As this book goes to print, the COVID-19 (coronavirus) rages on, dramatically affecting the lives of nearly everyone on the planet. Since I wrote the manuscript before the pandemic began, it’s easy to ask: how can one practice happiness when there is so much sickness, loss of loved ones, unemployment, and a complete upheaval of the world we once knew?
I sincerely believe we need this book now more than ever. Or at least some of you will because I’ll never pretend one book works for everyone. Practicing happiness and being a “blue-nosed gopher” (as explained in the next few pages) is about discovering ways to stay grounded and get through these times of hardship. Face it: there have been plagues, hunger, wars, and natural disasters throughout our history. Even in the face of inconceivable suffering, we’ve seen the best of human nature come forward. Adversity helps us realize and act upon what is most important: loving and helping our neighbors, our families, our friends, and those in need.
Difficult times create more urgency for us to seek our true purpose here on Earth, to find and be our higher selves, and do what’s most important in life. We can either allow the challenges we face to overcome us, or we can choose to rise above them, no matter how difficult. And, yes, all of us do have the right to choose happiness, a sense of humor, and to be positive, even in troubled times. That is how we will get through this. So read on! Practicing happiness will make a difference, and I absolutely wish for you to be happy and healthy in better times ahead!
Be a Blue-Nosed Gopher!


T here is nothing wrong with your eyes. You read correctly. Yes, a blue-nosed gopher! A mutant rodent has what to do with happiness? How did this cute but pesky little varmint give me so much more than giant holes in my backyard?
I’d just finished what I thought was my final version of the book you are now reading. I’ve always advocated that a big part of being happy is the ability to cope with adversity. Suddenly, that idea was given a major test.
I was trying to incorporate a writing career along with being a university professor and a jazz musician when Toni, my wife and soul mate, suffered a major bipolar episode. If you’ve ever had a friend or family member with a mental disorder, you know that can literally turn your entire world upside down. That’s exactly what happened. As wonderful as my wife was when she was healthy, she literally became a danger to herself and