Train Your Brain

That's a great outlook! You can definitely train your brain to think happy thoughts. I remember when I took a stress test a few times several years ago and I was in the highest stress category. After this, I spent 20 minutes a day thinking only happy thoughts: things that brought up joyful feelings, things I was thankful for (already thankful for, not things I wanted to become thankful for), things that excited me, etc. I did this for a month, and it had a profound impact on my feelings, my personality, and my overall behavior. I took the same stress test a few times after this, about a week apart, and they all showed the same thing: very calm, in the least stressed category. I had changed nothing major in my lifestyle other than that one thing: training myself to focus on the positive.

The brain, mind and spirit are like any other parts of us: they are made of what we focus on, ie what we choose to do regularly, what we choose to be. I "knew" already that I "should" focus on the positive, that the positive is all that really matters, etc, but it didn't really sink in until I actually chose to consciously do it for 20 minutes a day. We tell our inner selves what's really important to us by our actions. Of course thoughts, prayers, and meditations are actions, too.

Perpetual Joy is an awesome goal. I wish you well in your focus on this. It's something I keep coming back to as a goal and making a bit of progress on occassionally.

The lake-home you describe sounds wonderful. Like you said, you chose to take in the beauty of it and appreciate it. If you grew up in the middle of a city, you might have felt similar awe and wonder at the beauty and newness of every day of city life. Personally, I think a strong spirit will find joy in any environment, though maybe more joy in some environments than others. Nature is certainly easy to admire. I spent much of my childhood in nearby woods and around the creek that ran behind my backyard, and I have very fond memories of the occasional camping trips to Nolin Lake and Deams Lake.

These days, I have a much easier time maintaining a fairly positive focus at all times. I almost never feel anything even close to fear or hatred anymore. I feel at least content most of the time, and happy much of the time. I would like to feel more excitement and deep appreciation. I get these feelings from the usual sources, but I'd like to be able to maintain them. Sometimes when I meditate, I feel it for a while. Perhaps I take it for granted, because I sometimes end up not meditating for a few days after I get myself to a great state. I "spend" the spiritual energy working and doing other "mundane" things, although much of the time, my site and my work on it are themselves sources of spiritual energy. I remind myself that every moment matters, and whatever we focus on, that becomes a stronger part of us, whatever level we're at. Whether we feel like a novice or a master, we can always improve in any area.