In a recent session with a client, we discussed his
excitement to be moving into a new apartment.
What was amazing was the fact he had yet to be inside the
apartment! He had never stepped foot
inside the door and it did not matter.
It did not matter if it was too big or too small, whether the paint
matched his furniture, whether the carpet was nice, or if he had a tub versus a
standing shower. He had already made the
decision that he was going to be happy because he had a place of his own and it
was new. What a fantastic outlook on
life that each of us can learn from.
One of the many great entities I have learned over the last
five to six years is that there is a choice.
Each day there is a choice to be one way or the other – either happy or
miserable. We all face many challenges and
trials each day, but how you choose to respond is what you have control
over. Do not allow the negative thought
train to gain momentum. Yes, traffic may
be bad, your boss may tack on additional work to your already overloaded agenda,
but do not allow such circumstances to rule you. Each day I talk with people who allow their
day to be ruined because their plan did not go accordingly, somebody did not
respond to their Facebook message quick enough, or several other silly
reasons. Dwelling on thoughts such as
these is a guarantee of a lousy day.
Happiness is something that you have to want and we all have
things to be happy about. You may just
have to a make a slight mind readjustment.
In the last post, I wrote about being grateful for what you do have in
life. Adding the “gratefulness” to the
adjustment and you certainly have a good start to change. For example, I do not think a day has passed
that I have not heard someone express how miserable they are in their job. However, have a quick chat with the nearly
10% of the population that is unemployed – listen to what life is life without
a paycheck and it typically leads to being grateful for even having a job! Recently a good friend was venting about her
family’s home being too large, it was too much work to keep clean. Sit and chat with a family that lost their
home to foreclosure or a family of five living in a one bedroom apartment and
the realization can begin. Most often, happiness lies in your perspective
on life.
Quite often I recall a moment from about ten years ago (in
my active addiction). I had been distraught about a bunch of nothing and I
could feel the “pi$$ed off” expression on my face. I can still feel that. I realized that it took much more effort to
keep that expression, much like the effort it takes to constantly dwell on the
negatives in life. I can promise you one
thing – if you use half of that exertion for the flip side, for looking at the
good, you will be astounded of how differently your life will begin a transformation. It is just a minor adjustment that leads to
better opportunity, new people, healthier living, and just an all-around better
attitude.
I invite you to try something tomorrow morning: Set your “mind
dial” on the positive channel. Make the
decision to start the day in a good mood.
Give thanks for being alive!
Whatever happens throughout the course of the day, do not allow your
mind to be dependent on the circumstance.
Do not allow any person to change the channel. You would never allow someone to change the
radio channel in your car, so do not allow them to change your “mind channel”!! Never, ever give someone that much control
over you! You have what you need to be
happy. Go back and look over your list
from the previous post (grateful list).
Look at what is right, not at what is wrong. Look at what you do have, not at what you do
not have. Do not allow your negative
thoughts to control your mind. Much like
you would pump up a teammate in a competition, do it for yourself! It won’t always be easy – I get that. However, don’t give away the power you have
to be happy.
Until next time…..GO WELL!
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