Stop for a second and think about what that really means. How do we really make the most of our lives?
Simply put, we recognize that although things won't always go our way, we refuse to let bumps in the road stop us from reaching our ultimate destination: happiness.
People will disappoint us (and often such people will include ourselves). Crappy days at work are a certainty. We may run into financial and health problems here and there. And we're likely to see a venture or two fall through (e.g., launching a new business doesn't work out).
But life isn't about what happens to you. It's what you do with what happens to you.
In other words, we may not be able to control unfolding events, but we can control how we respond to them.
Do you allow setbacks to knock you off course? Or do you use them as catalysts for achieving your goals?
Do you let one obnoxious person ruin your day? Or do they actually help you gain a deeper appreciation for those who enrich your life?
It's important we never lose sight of the good things in our life, even in the midst of hardship. Merely saying "it could be worse" and taking stock of our blessings helps us keep things in perspective.
We must do our best to mentally turn negatives into positives -- otherwise, those negative circumstances can easily overwhelm us, dealing a blow to our happiness.
This begs one other question: If you could have a perfect life, would you really want it?
That would mean no struggles to push us out of our comfort zone, no challenges to make us stronger and wiser individuals.
One can argue that if we had every single thing we wanted, we'd likely be less satisfied with our lives. Things gained through hard work and sacrifice hold far more value to us than those obtained easily.
Indeed, life is what you make of it. Your thoughts exert a powerful influence over your overall happiness.
You can either gripe about the storm and wait for it to pass, or you can teach yourself to dance in the rain!
Comments