Chocolate Won’t Make You Happy. Here’s Why.

I started my day by listening to a few Abraham Hicks videos today to set my vibrational tone.  The video that stood out was this one called New 30 Day Processes for Success (also embedded here).

I was delighted by what I was hearing and wanted to give it a try.  If you’ve followed my blog for awhile you know I love 30 day challenges.

This one was a process that includes focusing on doing things that make you feel happy for 30 days.  One of the suggestions the person in the video mentioned that help him stay on track and focused on happiness was to write out things in advance that he knew made him happy.

So, earlier today I thought I’d start with that.  I wrote them out…just let ’em spill out of me. (note: the process of recalling things that make you happy is likely to make you feel happy :)
Here’s what I came up with in about 2-3 minutes:

• laying on the grass in a park on a sunny day looking up at the sun
• hiking with doggies
• hiking and listening to Abraham Hicks videos on YouTube
• Petting my kitties (petting any kitty for that matter)
• sitting in my backyard enjoying watching my chickens be chickens
• spontaneous laughter with good friends (1:1 or in a group)
• feeling loved, loving, love
• silly videos online from people like Jimmy Fallon or Greg Ferguson
• Talking with my mom about her childhood or mine – connecting and getting to know her more
• dreaming about the vacations I will be taking in my lifetime
• appreciating beauty
• enjoying beautiful weather
• appreciating things and people in my life
• sleeping in
• waking up and choosing to feel good right away
• my kitties snuggling with me in bed
• watching someone in their vortex express themselves
• taking dogs out for walks from my local shelter
• love stories or movies
• dreaming about the lovely men in my future
• feeling like I have plenty of money
• a clean house
• a quiet house
• seeing other people happy and connected to their highest selves – enjoying the heck out of their life
• completing a long, often strenuous, joyous hike – time to myself in nature
• meeting new people who are really happy and really cool just the way they are
• flirting with hot, rich, funny, available, smart guys
• giving compliments
• trying new things
• visiting new places
• stepping into the unknown
• saying thank you to kind people

I enjoyed the process of writing all that down.  The Ah-ha moment came as I looked back over my list and realized – wait a minute! Hold the phones goddammit!  Chocolate isn’t on my happy list!! 

Could that be right?

Holy.  Shit.

That was HUGE for me!

Ok, let me back up a few weeks and tell you how all this come together.

You see, about a month ago I was feeling like I was drinking too much in the evenings after work.  I don’t mean that I was getting smashed or anything, but I wasn’t having the itsty bitsy glass of cab or chardonnay after work.  Often I was having one, two or sometimes three glasses of wine (or beer) after work.  The average was probably two glasses, but that was because I was being conscious and trying to cap myself at two glasses.

It didn’t feel like it was easy to put the bottle away.  Sort of like those people who can eat only one potato chip or bite of cake.  Yeah, that’s not me.  If I’m gonna taste it…I’m gonna eat it, right?  Same with alcohol lately.

That is until I finally decided I didn’t want to be doing this much drinking.  I realize some would say that a glass of wine is fine.  It’s to each his or her own.  For me, I just didn’t want to be introducing that much toxin into my body.  Makes my body have to work too hard (and I’ve been having some digestive discomfort lately, so I’m sensitive to making my body do extra work these days).

So, I stepped far enough back and was able to get a perspective on what I was doing.  I realized that I had associated drinking at night to a reward. (same thing for chocolate by the way) I thought I was rewarding myself for a tough day by giving my body a relaxant – a glass or two of wine.  I decided to make up a new meaning that sounded like “Wine is not a reward.  Wine is a toxin and I am not going to associate wine with a reward any longer.”

Bamm!

I thought about that new affirmation for a day or two and my alcohol consumption has been cut down without struggle.  Without restraint.  Without regret.  Without pain or suffering.  I just started to look at the situation (give it a new meaning) and everything started to fall into place by itself.  Things sort of took care of themselves.

That was powerful.  I am now enjoying wine or beer when I feel like it, but not because I had a tough day of work and need a reward or treat.  Super proud of myself.

Ok, back to the chocolate ah-ha moment.  Earlier today I realized I totally thought I associated chocolate with happiness and that’s why I would eat it.  Nope, that wasn’t it.  I think there was still some of that underlying association with chocolate as a reward, a treat for being “good” elsewhere.

Screw that! [makes ninja move]

Chocolate isn’t worth that and I chose to give it a new meaning.  I have a strong feeling my chocolate food budget is going to go waaaay down.  And that, my friend, is a very good thing.

I’m going to practice attaching a new meaning to chocolate as a food item.  Something to be enjoyed for the benefits (and negatives) it brings when you eat it and that’s all.  Giving it any higher value or meaning was something I unconsciously had done and now that I realize  I was doing it I can change the meaning.

Wicked cool if you ask me.

Now you…what’s your relationship with chocolate or alcohol or….your favorite snack food?  What meaning would you say you give to it?  What is a new, empowering meaning you could change it to that would release the power it has over you?  Please share your comments below.