Help your children build a happy life (by Deepak Chopra)

"From the day your baby is born, you are a teacher of spirit. Look upon spirituality as a skill in living, since that is what it is. I believe in imparting these skills as early as possible by whatever means a child can understand." — Deepak Chopra

What if you could teach your children 7 lessons that would help them on their way to a happy and successful life? Over the years, many adults who have read my books and become familiar with my teachings on the 7 spiritual laws of the universe tell me they wish they had learned these lessons much earlier in life. My book On My Way to a Happy Life presents these timeless universal laws in terms that even the youngest ones can understand. When kids understand the way the world works from a spiritual point of view, it makes it easier for them to navigate through life with joy, love, and happiness.

Every child has a spiritual life already. This is because every child is born into the field of infinite creativity and pure awareness that is spirit. But not every child knows that this is true. Spirit must be cultivated; it must be nourished and encouraged. A child raised with spiritual skills will be able to answer the most basic questions about how the universe works; he or she will understand the source of creativity both within and outside of us; he or she will be able to practice nonjudgment, acceptance, and truth, which will be free from fear and anxiety about the meaning of life.

The Seven Spiritual Laws for Children:

1. Everything is possible. We all have the gift of creating absolutely anything. There's no limit to what we can do or be.
2. If you want to get something, give it. Always give with a happy heart. The greatest gift is feeling good.
3. When you make a choice, you change the future (karma).Your choices bring about changes. To make good choices, follow your heart. How do your choices make you feel?
4. Don't say no—go with the flow. Create peace within by learning acceptance of what is outside our control.
5. Every time you wish or want, you plant a seed. Making your wish is like planting a seed and believing that it will grow. Let nature do the rest.
6. Be open to life and enjoy the journey. New ways and new ideas can lead to more happiness.
7. You are here for a reason.Your dharma is your purpose, path, or vision, the unique talent that you are here on Earth to share. Your dharma is your happiness.

As parents, we are not teaching our children hard-and-fast rules that must be heeded. We are inviting them into our own journey, into our sense of purpose, which never ends. It is a journey of ever-expanding meaning. Although very young children may not be able to understand what this means in words, your child can easily sense whether you find life exciting and wondrous. Your sense of purpose in the universe speaks far louder than any words.