Page 34 - The Truth Landscape Format 2020 with next section introductions-compressed

Nor do we need to hurt others with words of blame. We need only concentrate on our part of the situation; what needs to be changed is our way of thinking
and having done so, happiness will follow.

Happiness and self-acceptance

A little bit of pleasure, an occasional sixty seconds of joy, is for most of us, quite acceptable and very much appreciated. It goes some way to making
up for the work, the stress, the suffering and the sacrifice that came before it. Whilst we may be comfortable with life’s little pleasures; our
conditioning makes us feel less comfortable with prolonged happiness, full blown JOY and everlasting bliss.

Ask yourself.. how much happiness can you really handle? One hour? A week? A month? A year? A lifetime? How long can you live with happiness and
joy before you begin to question and doubt what is happening? How long can you accept being peaceful, or blissfully happy before you become restless and
anxious? How long can you enjoy someone’s love and attention, accept their genuine affection, appreciation and admiration before you grow uncomfortable
or even guilty, believing that you are receiving more bliss than you deserve? How long can you accept and trust the feeling of complete freedom a person or
an experience offers, before you sabotage it?

Acceptance rather than time is the real issue, and in particular, self-acceptance.

Happiness and self-acceptance go hand in hand. In fact :

“Your level of happiness is directly determined by your level of self acceptance”

The more self acceptance you have, the more happiness you will allow yourself to accept, receive and enjoy. In other words:

“You enjoy as much happiness as you believe you are worthy of”.

Happiness comes easily when your level of self-acceptance level is high, but happiness seems so distant when your self acceptance is low. When you feel low,
you can’t help but dream of being happy once more, but you may secretly fear that you’re just not deserving of happiness, and so you question, doubt, resist,
test, deny, defend against, overlook and push away invitations to be happy.

To deny your self acceptance is to believe you are not worthy of happiness. You cannot have a low level of self acceptance AND happiness. To persist with a
feeling of unworthiness and also accept happiness is too much of a conflict – a conflict that will leave you feeling guilty. How can you accept happiness and
also believe you do not deserve it? Page34