A presentation on how to be happy by giving up

1. Enchantment. Slay The
Dragons, Grab Prince
Charming and Have A Ball

2.  I moved out of the city a few months
ago and came to live in a small seaside
town. I have always lived in the city and
I was unsure if I could be happy living in
a small town.
I took the plunge anyway and it has
worked out beautifully. Being enchanted
I discover over and over again, is more
about the inside than the outside world

3. Walking “aimlessly” is an absolute
passion of mine. In a big city like
Edinburgh there are endless
opportunities to explore and find
enchanted places.
Not so easy in a small place. 20 or so
years ago I was studying Buddhism and
reading the Artists Way, by Julie
Cameron and I discovered that I didn’t
like my own company.

4. So I started to do what she suggested in
the book, I took myself out on a date
each week to find and lose myself.
Edinburgh is a city rich in culture, beauty
and history.
Finding enchanted places was not so
hard. Finding enchanted places within me
was more challenging; inside I felt more
like a landfill site than a magical castle.

5. One day I stumbled upon the oldest
building in the city. I was (even for me)
particularly unhappy that day. I
wandered into a gallery, and discovered
it claimed to be Edinburgh`s oldest
building, built in the 12th century.

6. Upstairs and alone in the gallery I sat on
a bench to take in the paintings, harp
music began to play, my day was
transformed by that magical setting and
I began to take baby steps; tentative
spiritual connections, a sense of awe,
healing, getting out of my head and into
creating an enchanted world for myself.
It was a long journey to heal the emotion
pain and to find inside me someone I
could love and trust. This journey is
possible for you too.

7. So here I am at 48 preparing to remarry.
I wasn’t sure how I was going to take to
living in a tiny town, with only one main
street.
Years of practise had given me a deep
rooted grounding, a knowing that my
enchanted place is within me now.
Spiritual maturity ends the desire for new
things and deepens our relationships with
what we already have.

8. So I go to the same beach and harbour
each day. I eat lunch in the same cafe,
most days. I am learning to savour
“keeping it simple” finding Enchantment
in the ordinary.

9. It’s funny I find myself writing about
enchantment because my husband to be
(I refuse to use the word fiancé because
I hate it) sometimes calls me princess.
This word makes my toes curl with
delight. It means to me that I have
healed. I have all the fairytale elements
to my story, I lost both my parents to
drink, and I lived in a home without love,
comfort, or joy. Left at such a young
age, I was a lost soul for years, living in
survival mode.

10. I was neglected, abused and unloved.
Without a mother’s love, I became stone
inside, without a fathers direction, I
became hard and cheap.
I had a tiny stone of rage that lived in
the core of me and it took me years to
soften that rage.

11. This princess living this enchanted life is
no Barbie doll. I have a backbone of
steel, developed from facing up to my
character and transforming the rage to
love. I studied for years and learnt how
to be a wise and loving parent to myself
and for others.
True happiness comes from inner
contentment.

12. Finding delight in small things. Adapting
to life. Suspending judgement and
accepting what is.
Not demanding that things be your way.
Simplicity. Seeking Solitude. Sharing.
Love.

13. Happiness is a habit. Stop stressing and
let your creativity flow from you. Baking
a perfect scone is just as beautiful as
writing a bestselling book or painting a
masterpiece.
If you chose to seek outside validation
you are on the road to pain.
YOU validate your worth. Approval and
appreciation seeking are soul sapping
weeds that choke the pleasure from
living.

14. What one step can you take today, one
step towards your enchanted future?
Create a vision for yourself and believe
that, like me, you too can create beauty
and love in your life.
Oh and I am very much in love with my
new home, living in a small place is every
bit as enchanting.
Learn how to be happy :
http://carolfinlayson.com/