Yesterday, I talked about finding our own purpose. Today is a new day.
You don't know what you have until it's gone. While I've been practicing mindfulness these last few months I've been noticing the things that I should be grateful for in my life. We often make the mistake of realizing this when it's too late, but simply taking time to think about what it is we've come to depend on, the people who influence our lives, and how things could be worse without them are helping me appreciate what I have.
People make mistakes and we tend to overestimate what we think we want in life. That's why we make rash decisions. Maybe we broke-up with someone because we thought we could do better, but then come to regret it because we see how amazing what we had really was. Or we quit a job we thought sucked only to end up realizing that finding (and getting) your ideal job is more difficult that you think. The notion that the grass is always greener on the other side screws us over and the imagination can get the best of us.
In taking time to stop thinking about the things I could have I am learning to be more appreciative of what's in front of me. Sometimes looking ahead isn't always the way to see what's right in front of us. We don't need anything to be happy because we already have the capacity for happiness no matter what conditions we live in. It's all a matter of perspective.
Peace
"Happiness is a butterfly which, when pursued, is always beyond our group, but which if you will sit down quietly, may alight upon you." - Nathaniel HawthorneHappiness is something we're taught to seek in life. We get so caught up in trying to find it that we miss the happiness that's already in front of us. However, this tendency to keep seeking "better" is a double-edge sword. While it enables us to reach new heights (particularly technological progress), it comes with the cost of taking for granted what we have and never being fully satisfied. This makes us miss out on being happy now because we're always chasing something.
You don't know what you have until it's gone. While I've been practicing mindfulness these last few months I've been noticing the things that I should be grateful for in my life. We often make the mistake of realizing this when it's too late, but simply taking time to think about what it is we've come to depend on, the people who influence our lives, and how things could be worse without them are helping me appreciate what I have.
People make mistakes and we tend to overestimate what we think we want in life. That's why we make rash decisions. Maybe we broke-up with someone because we thought we could do better, but then come to regret it because we see how amazing what we had really was. Or we quit a job we thought sucked only to end up realizing that finding (and getting) your ideal job is more difficult that you think. The notion that the grass is always greener on the other side screws us over and the imagination can get the best of us.
In taking time to stop thinking about the things I could have I am learning to be more appreciative of what's in front of me. Sometimes looking ahead isn't always the way to see what's right in front of us. We don't need anything to be happy because we already have the capacity for happiness no matter what conditions we live in. It's all a matter of perspective.
Peace
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| We already have everything we need to be happy |
Today's assignment: give yourself a few moments to sit down and allow the butterfly of happiness to alight upon you.
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