The Glass Is Full: The Secrets to Being Happy and Staying Happy

The

Glass

Is Full

THE SECRETS TO BEING HAPPY

AND STAYING HAPPY

Gigi G.

Copyright © 2012 Gigi G. (Jehane I. Ghabrial)

All rights reserved. No part of this book may be used or reproduced by any means, graphic, electronic, or mechanical, including photocopying, recording, taping or by any information storage retrieval system without the written permission of the publisher except in the case of brief quotations embodied in critical articles and reviews.

ISBN: 978-1-4525-5846-2 (sc)

ISBN: 978-1-4525-5847-9 (e)

Library of Congress Control Number: 2012916377

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The author of this book does not dispense medical advice or prescribe the use of any technique as a form of treatment for physical, emotional, or medical problems without the advice of a physician, either directly or indirectly. The intent of the author is only to offer information of a general nature to help you in your quest for emotional and spiritual well-being. In the event you use any of the information in this book for yourself, which is your constitutional right, the author and the publisher assume no responsibility for your actions.

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Balboa Press rev. date: 10/05/2012

Contents

My Inspirations

Preface

Introduction Welcome to your new beginning!

Laying the Foundations

The Next Step Forward

Say Thank You

Say Sorry

Is Your Glass Full Yet?

Look at the View from the Penthouse, Not the Basement!

If You Believe in Life, Life Will Believe in You!

Freedom. What Is It?

Let Go!

The Tree

Time out!

Take Steps Forward with Courage

Things Don’t Matter, People Matter

Risky Business

Every Childhood Has Its Ups and Downs

Live Life in the Moment! Make the Most of the Now!

Forgiveness Is a Healing Gift You Give Yourself!

Change the Label!

Sweep away the Anger!

Take Responsibility for Your Existence—Take Charge!

Goodbye, Guilt!

You Matter!

Say Sayonara to Shame

Living Positively

Letting Go of Desires for Revenge

Relax!

Life Is Like a Big Bowl of Soup!

Smile and the Whole World Will Smile with You

Be Kind to Yourself and to Others

Slow Down and Enjoy the Journey

Sing Your Way to Freedom

The Classical Effect

Let the Light in!

Life’s a Beach!

Be True to Yourself— Dare to Follow Your Dreams

The Allegory of the Frog: Run Your Own Race

Seize Your Opportunities … Now!

Be Your Own Best Friend

Get up off the Lounge and Live Your Life!

Change It Up!

Treat Yourself!

Get Your Own Endorphins into Gear!

Turn down the Heat!

Have Faith!

Treat Others as You Want Them to Treat You!

Every Life Experience Is Positive

You Are Never Alone!

Trust Yourself, Your Inner Guide, and the God within You!

Let It Be!

Gather Yourself and Pull Your Life Together

A Look at Gigi G.

My Inspirations

For my loving husband, Christopher, who has shown me the true meaning of love and encouraged me to be myself. Because of Chris, my journey towards self-love, self-acceptance, and self-fulfilment has been (and is still) the greatest journey of my life. Because of his unconditional acceptance and love—and his belief in me and his encouragement—I have chosen to share the secrets of my journey towards happiness with you. Now you can also enjoy this great journey!

For my parents, Joe and Sonia (Sunny), who have given me every opportunity to express myself and flourish. Especially for my mother, Sunny, my spiritual mentor, who opened my heart to the realms of the universe and the experiences it has to offer.

For my beautiful children, Isabelle and Felicity—my angels, the lights of my life, the completion of my journey of self. You have taught me so much about unconditional love and what it means to be free. Your joy, your love, your energy, your innocence—those things that we grown-ups seem to lose touch with (but need to embrace again in our lives). The key to freedom and success is to be more like you both. I have learned this from both of you. I thank you for being such a large part of my own journey in this life. Love, Mummy xxx

For my very first spiritual healer and guide, Gwen Burghes, who set me on my own journey towards physical and spiritual well-being.

Preface

Welcome!

You have chosen to read this book for a reason. There is a reason behind everything that happens in this life. And what an exciting journey it is going to be! Do you know why? Because you are finally going to realise that you hold the power to make it an exciting journey.

It will be a journey of becoming empowered and actually feeling that power within you. A journey in which your whole perspective of this life will change in ways that will make you feel better because you will view it in a positive way!

It will be a journey in which the words I can’t get thrown out the window, and you finally realise and believe that there are no limits to what you can do (because you control what you do and how you view this life). You—and you alone—hold that key and that power … no matter what the situation might be!

It will be a journey in which you discover that every minute of every day you can make the choice to say, Yes, I can—and then you can go ahead and do it. Believe me … it is that easy!

It will be a journey in which you learn and understand that you are a physical, spiritual, and emotional person—and that all three of those parts of you need to coexist and work together to bring about harmony within you.

"So what does The Glass IS Full actually mean?" you ask.

Well … think about it for a minute. Most of us will remember being told when young, When you see a glass filled halfway with water, see it as a glass half-full, not as a glass half-empty. To an extent, that’s true. But thinking of the glass in that way is not realising the full potential of being positive in your life. What do I mean?

Ask yourself, What things in this world are the most important for our survival?

One obvious answer is water. Everyone knows we can’t survive without water. You learn on all of those survival shows on TV these days that if you get stuck in the middle of nowhere, make sure you stay hydrated. Am I right, or am I right?

But one thing everyone forgets (especially in Western society) is how important air is. We just can’t survive without air … can we?

Do you get why the glass is always full now?

When I look at a glass, if it is half-full of water, I not only see the water, but also I see that it is half-full of air. So it is always full! Even when the glass appears to have no water in it, it is still full of air. It is always full.

How easy life is when you adopt this way of looking at the glass and put it into effect in your life.

For example, everything that happens each minute of your day presents the opportunity for you to learn something. Everything!

Every moment of every day is full of experience and life. Even the ability to live, to breathe air, is a gift in itself.

When you view your life as a glass that is always full of something, no matter what happens around you, you will always feel fulfilled. Your life will always feel full and filled. That is the secret to happiness!

I think this has to be the problem with this modern Western society: most people just want more and more and more. They never see their glasses (that is, their lives) as full of happiness. They focus on what’s missing! And it’s not usually what’s missing inside—it’s usually what they have on the outside that seems to matter most!

My house isn’t big enough, My boobs aren’t big enough, I want to wear that designer’s clothes because everyone else is, I want more money, I want, I want, I want.

In our instant gratification society, people spend too much time worrying about what’s on the outside. They use fad diets, pills, cosmetic surgery, and credit cards to fix it their problems, but they forget to live in the moment and feed their soul with those moments. Money can’t buy those conscious moments. They forget to stop and listen to the sounds of life and appreciate the fact that they are alive. That in itself is a miracle, but we forget this fact very quickly. If you remember to appreciate every experience and view each day of your life as an experience from which you can grow and learn, you won’t feel the need to fill your life with stuff. You will always lead a full life, no matter what you have.

That doesn’t mean you can’t work hard and earn money to pay your bills. It is just how you view your life that makes it a happier one. If you see your life as full, you will wake each day feeling happy. This has an effect on how you work and perform. That joy for life will translate into your work and your life, and you will always be fulfilled. The money just comes. It is a gift, but it doesn’t rule your life. After all, however much money you have, your view of the world will be as follows: I have everything, and I enjoy everything I have. The universe will keep sending it to you. The minute you start seeing your life as not being fulfilled, you will always see it that way. Negative energy breeds negative energy.

It’s time to put those glasses on and see the world through those new lenses. It’s time to start appreciating every moment as a gift of sorts. That seems simple enough, doesn’t it? Believe me: it is that simple!

All you have to do is believe!

Your Glass IS Full.

Introduction

Welcome to your new beginning!

Today, you start your journey on the road of peace, love, joy, and happiness. A journey where your world is a wonderful place filled with a wealth of experiences and growth.

It’s your fate that you have picked up this book. There is reason and purpose behind everything that happens to you (and around you) in your life. Sometimes you might not know what that reason or purpose is, but one thing you can always be sure of is that there is a reason or purpose for everything. One day—whether it is now, in a month, or even many years from now—you will realise what that purpose was.

What you can also be sure of is that the universe knows you have a true need for happiness and success in your life—and that you need some help finding a way to get there. Consider me your guide, and consider that your life is like a big map—the paths in your life are like the roads or routes on that map.

There are so many different routes you can take to get to your destination. And though there might appear to be a dead end on some of the streets, you will always be able to navigate your way there … even if it means taking the long route.

As you begin this journey, it is so important for you to understand a very basic rule: you can’t buy happiness or acquire it from others. You can only create it for yourself. It has to come from within you, not from outside of you. There are no exceptions to this rule. So, you have to put aside everything that you have been conditioned to think about happiness. Rather, you must turn to yourself for it.

Each day, when you wake up, remind yourself of this very basic rule.

No matter how out of control you or your life might feel, always remember that you are the one who ultimately controls your own life. You control your own feelings and reactions to situations. You are the one who has complete control over how you view situations.

By remembering these simple rules, you free yourself from the chains of having your feelings dictated by the outside world and those around you.

Yes, you say, but what if bad things happen to me that I can’t control?

After many years of being you, you have developed your own ideas of how you and your life should be. You have developed your own ideas about what is good and what you believe to be bad. You react to situations in certain ways because you have your own ideas about what those situations mean to you. Sure, at the end of the day, those things that happen around (and to) you might not always be in your control.