Good things will abound

Just by embracing the thought written in the title anyone can start a process of personal change, if we are to believe certain self help guides. It may be a bit difficult to swallow the idea of such an easy rise from despair to the top of the world. Could this kind of perspective change really bring a decisive impact on our lives, and what would that process of changing one’s perspective be in practice?

To find out what this life changing method really is, I eagerly grabbed the book titled Lyhyt matka perille (free translation: Short Way to Get There), written by Kati Reijonen, a Finnish writer and mindfulness instructor. Reijonen herself seems to be a good example of how one can have notable help from silence and mindfulness in a challenging life situation. Finding peace of mind in silence gives way to the emergence of one’s hidden wisdom, allowing for healthier and more enjoyable life choices. Reijonen’s most important advice to life change is to calm down and develop an accepting presence through meditation.

Enabling further change is not about wanting, but rather about being. Thoughts like “I want to get rich” or “I want a great life partner” hardly work on their own. Reijonen emphasizes the importance of emotions. Is one's mind guided by fear or by love? How you experience the world is directly reflected in your own life. What fills the mind comes back to everyone in life. And this is, of course, the tough bit. How to feel loved and successful if life only seems to give hardships?

There are good hints in the book for positive change: feeling grateful for the things you already have; gaining small experiences of success in the things one wants to see step into one’s life; thinking of kind and forgiving thoughts of the people in one’s life. A positive attitude, when properly understood, does not mean a forced smile or forced positive thoughts. It is a matter of consciously seeking a kind and grateful attitude towards this wonderful universe of ours.

Kati Reijonen. Lyhyt matka perille (free translation: Short Way to Get There). Atena 2016