Relief – switch the ‘f’ and the ‘e’ around at the end of the word and you get re-life. Have you ever wished that you could have a do-over, the ultimate mulligan as it were and go back and change a few things? Or maybe change everything?
Youth is wasted on the young. I’m sure that you have heard that one before, but there is some truth that our perspectives change as we grow older, and hopefully wiser. Things that once appealed to us don’t seem like such great choices anymore.
Let’s face it – we have all done things we regret! Whether it was something that now affects your current state of health, or a mistake that altered the path of your life forever, you can linger on thoughts of, “What if…?” or “If only I had (hadn’t)…”.
Nothing productive comes from dwelling in the past. But in this moment, you have the power to alter the course of your life forever.
Look around you. If you aren’t happy with the current state of your life situation, and you are about to live today exactly like you did yesterday and the day before, then your tomorrows are going to be filled with much of the same.
Fear of change can keep us rooted exactly where we are, unhappy but unwilling to take steps to move towards living a new normal.
I found for myself that when I changed the way I looked at things, everything around me began to change. In reality everything was probably still the same at first but it was what I was noticing that changed.
I started to see beauty everywhere, from a magnificent sunset to the flowers in bloom. I stopped being too busy to take the time to really see what was going on around me.
The most important thing to remember is that happiness comes from within. Just changing jobs, or careers, or relationships doesn’t guarantee happiness on the other side.
Remember , wherever you go, there you are. If you have a misery consciousness, outside circumstances will support that.
Through the gift of being more present and mindful, I found little ways every day to feel happy. It was addictive too – the happier I felt the more I wanted to feel that way all of the time.
Then I found out that it was contagious! As I became happier, I shared that with the people around me and discovered that when I was pleasant, everyone I encountered seemed more pleasant as well.
Is it as simple as being a “Pollyanna” and just walking around happy all of the time?
If the alternative is to walk around being miserable, then it doesn’t seem like a bad thing to try.
If you know that you need to change something, then change it. But first find the peace inside of you and live from that space. From there you will know exactly what you need to do.