The world isn’t just the way it is.
It’s how you understand it to be.
When it comes to the following, you need to chill out, change your thinking, and adjust your approach.
- The few things that aren’t going right. – When things go wrong, take a moment to be thankful for all the other things that are still going right. And if you’re struggling to be thankful for what you have, be thankful for what you have escaped. Sometimes the best gifts in life are the troubles you don’t have. Read Stumbling on Happiness.
- Trying to label everyone and everything. – Sometimes you’ve just got to take people and situations for what they are, appreciate them, and not try to label them or change them. This unconditional acceptance doesn’t mean you’re giving up your freewill or waving the white flag – that’s quitting. Instead, it means you’re willing to let go of who you think people should be and how you think things are supposed to be, so you can fall in love with who they truly are and how life really is.
- Worrying about what everyone else thinks. – The minute you stop overwhelming your mind with caring about what everyone else thinks, and start doing what you feel in your heart is right, is the minute you will finally feel freedom. In fact, you can end half your troubles immediately by no longer permitting people to tell you what you want. You have to put your life in your own hands. Others may be able stop you temporarily, but only you can do it permanently.
- Wasting time on the wrong people. – You cannot make someone respect you; all you can do is be someone who can be respected. The rest is up to them. No matter how much you care some people just won’t care back. It’s not the end of the world. At some point you have to realize the truth – that they no longer care or never did, and that maybe you’re wasting your time and missing out on someone else who does.
- Old wounds and grudges. – You will never find peace until you learn to finally let go of the hatred and hurt that lives in your heart. In order to move on, you must know why you felt the way you did, and why you no longer need to feel that way. It’s about accepting the past, letting it be, and pushing your spirit forward with good intentions. Because nothing empowers your ability to heal and grow as much as your love and forgiveness. Read Buddha’s Brain.
- Superficial judgments. – We don’t know most people half as well as we believe we do; and truly knowing someone is a big part of what makes them attractive. Every human being is beautiful; it just takes the right set of eyes to see it. The more you mature, the more you will be able to look beyond another person’s appearance and see the beauty of who they really are.
- Letting small disagreements snowball out of control. – Don’t let a single poisonous moment of misunderstanding make you forget about the countless lovable moments you’ve spent together. If you’re angry at someone you love, hug them and mean it. You may not want to hug them, which is all the more reason to do so. It’s hard to stay angry when someone shows that they love you, and that’s precisely what happens when we hug each other.
- Showing a lack of self-respect. – Decide this minute to never again beg anyone for the love, respect, and attention that you should be showing yourself. Be your own best friend. Trust your inner spirit and follow your instincts. Be the person you will be happy to live with for the duration of your life. Make the most of yourself by fanning the tiny, inner sparks of passion and possibility into a blaze of victories. Read The Untethered Soul.
- Thinking that now is the wrong time. – This isn’t the wrong time and place, because you can make it the right time and place. Today is the first day of a new beginning – the conception of a new life. The next nine months are all yours. You can do with them as you please. Make them count. Because a new person is born in nine months. The only question is: Who do you want that person to be?
Photo by: William Cho
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