> For the complete documentation index, see [llms.txt](https://www.happyvirtues.com/llms.txt). Markdown versions of documentation pages are available by appending `.md` to page URLs; this page is available as [Markdown](https://www.happyvirtues.com/practice/foundational-skills.md).

# Foundational Skills

## Introduction

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## Guided Practice - Foundation

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## Practice Visualization

<img src="/files/VkOlvUlbBrvvyWOzft15" alt="" class="gitbook-drawing">

## Overview - Skills

<table><thead><tr><th width="133">Name</th><th width="244">What</th><th>Benefit</th></tr></thead><tbody><tr><td><a href="/pages/di1LQePbBTuJkgR9b6AC">Softening</a></td><td>Our return base which is based on releasing excessive effort</td><td><ul><li>Facilitates Virtue</li><li>Independent happiness i.e., based on letting go</li><li>Decondition Vices</li></ul></td></tr><tr><td><a href="/pages/srqjd23vfpFSeBwSrJwF">Curiosity</a></td><td>Interest towards the causal relationship</td><td><ul><li>Understanding &#x26; directly experiencing Causality </li><li>Facilitates improvement as we understand the causes to apply or remove </li></ul></td></tr><tr><td><a href="/pages/TmEGuCugfWKHFvvRwZes">Enchantment</a></td><td>Perceiving the benefit</td><td><ul><li>Facilitate virtues &#x26; hinder vices </li><li>Automating behavior</li></ul></td></tr><tr><td><a href="/pages/TmEGuCugfWKHFvvRwZes">Disenchantment</a></td><td>Perceiving the disadvantage</td><td><ul><li>Hinder vices &#x26; facilitate virtues </li><li>Discouraging automated behavior</li></ul></td></tr><tr><td><a href="/pages/C1WRQwXve3kFbVntPs6k">Perspective Auto</a></td><td>Recognising that everything is happening by it self, caused by specific conditions, outside your control</td><td><p></p><ul><li>Facilitates Attitude of Offering > Forcing</li><li>Facilitates Softness </li><li>Facilitates independent happiness</li><li>Facilitates Virtue</li><li>Hinders Vices</li><li>Facilitates Understanding of Causality</li><li>Perceiving oneself as an aggregate of habits that can be improved upon</li></ul></td></tr><tr><td><a href="/pages/DFUZ4HaruWJWuOl8AP3g">Perspective Best Opportunity</a></td><td>Perceiving every moment as an opportunity to improve upon</td><td><ul><li>Facilitates inspiration to cause good</li><li>Facilitates being happy &#x26; optimistic</li><li>Hindering the habituated response of perceiving problems with dread, suffering, pessimism</li></ul></td></tr><tr><td><a href="/pages/LSJAWJLi3VWdDdmtMG0m">Virtue</a></td><td>Habits that are based on and strengthened by softness and in harmony with your values </td><td><ul><li>Recognize Virtue </li><li>Cultivating Virtue</li></ul></td></tr><tr><td><a href="/pages/LSJAWJLi3VWdDdmtMG0m">Vice</a></td><td>Habits that are based on non-softness and weakened by softness, and in disharmony with your values</td><td><ul><li>Recognize Vice</li><li>Decondition Vices</li></ul></td></tr></tbody></table>

## Overview - Practice Instructions

<table><thead><tr><th width="142"></th><th align="center"></th></tr></thead><tbody><tr><td><strong>Benefits</strong></td><td align="center"><ul><li>Enjoyable, facilitating and compounding development in happiness and virtue</li><li>Facilitating the hindering and deconditioning of suffering and vice</li><li><p>Positive Attitude towards one's values</p><ul><li>Causality &#x26; Auto: 'What are the causes that will positively influence this?'</li><li>Best Opportunity: 'What is the best next step?'</li><li>Reward > Penalty</li></ul></li></ul></td></tr><tr><td><strong>Instructions</strong></td><td align="center"><p></p><p>Establishing the Base</p><ol><li>Establishing a base of softness</li><li>Enchanting with Softness</li></ol><p>Cultivating Virtue</p><ol><li>Activate Virtue or Virtue automatically arises</li><li>Soften into the virtue</li><li>Enchant with Virtuous Softness</li></ol><p>Decondition Vices</p><ol><li>Activate Vice or Vice automatically arises</li><li>Disenchant with Vice</li><li>Soften into the Vice</li><li>Enchant with Softness</li></ol><p></p></td></tr><tr><td><strong>Daily Life</strong></td><td align="center"><p>The practice can be applied in any situation in life</p><ul><li>Continue to recognize Softness, Non-Softness, Virtue and Vice</li><li>Soften, Enchant, or Disenchant</li></ul></td></tr><tr><td><strong>Consider</strong></td><td align="center"><ul><li><p>Remember the perspective of 'best opportunity'</p><ul><li>'What is the best next step I can take?'</li><li>Enjoy this opportunity </li></ul></li><li><p>Remember the perspective of 'Auto'</p><ul><li>As this is happening all by itself, how can I best support positive change?</li></ul></li><li>Softening is the opposite of trying. Whenever you notice trying or struggling, release the effort underlying it.</li></ul></td></tr><tr><td><strong>Progress</strong></td><td align="center"><ul><li>Becoming sensitive to what it feels like to experience softness and virtue compared to non-softness and vice</li><li>Ability to soften and enchant with softness and virtue</li><li>Ability to soften &#x26; disenchant with vice</li><li>Perceiving causality &#x26; 'auto' in your sensory experience and the external world</li><li>Being glad that you can improve upon the current situation ('best opportunity')<br></li></ul></td></tr></tbody></table>