To quote Joe Dirt, “you gotta keep on keepin on… that’s my philosophy.” I know I know, it’s much easier said than done. I also know that life’s not perfect and I know that because my life is far from it. I know I keep saying “I know” a lot, but there are quite a lot of things that I don’t know. For example, why did I dye my hair blue two years ago? The world may never know.
In all seriousness, life isn’t as hard as people try to make it seem. You hear complaints thrown around left and right about frivolous things that are so mundane compared to hardships that people are facing in other areas of the world. I’m sure the fact that your latte didn’t have enough whip is definitely something you can overcome in a timely fashion. They’re third world problems, not actual problems.
What I’m getting at here is you take what you get (and you [shouldn’t] get upset). Yeah, your life might not be perfect but how boring would that be? In my experience, having had the opportunity to travel to other areas of the world that aren’t as fortunate as we are here in the States, there are people who have it way worse than us. But here’s the kicker: they’re happier. While they may not be as fortunate, they are grateful for what they have, even if it’s not a lot. They are grateful to be alive. Really, what else do you need?
In the fast-paced society that we know so well these days, it’s easy to fall into a routine and schedule life. In doing so, we almost become detached from life itself and function as robots programmed to complete only the tasks necessary to get good grades or make a living. Where on earth is the fun in that? Take a step back and ponder the question “what makes you happy? And I’m not talking about a wine-induced relaxation time that lasts fifteen minutes before you remember you have to fold the clothes that have been sitting in your hamper for 3 days. I’m talking about the things that light a fire inside you and bring a spark to your eye just thinking about them.
Now, think about this, “what makes you sad?” After comparing the two lists more often than not, there are more things on the happy list than on its counterpart. So, if that’s the case, why would you let a few things that make you sad overtake and overshadow all the things that make you happy? I’m sure there’s good reason that sadness is the emotion you feel in certain instances, it’s wrong to deny yourself to ability to feel it. But it’s even more wrong to let it consume you. To let yourself sit passively by as life happens around you.
Recently, someone commented on the fact that I seem to be so happy lately and inquired, genuinely curious, what I was doing to radiate so much positivity. Well, first things first, you don’t find happiness. You create it. Going back to that “life’s a garden” metaphor, you have to give yourself the opportunity to grow. If you’re sad and you keep on making the same decisions that led you to be sad in the first place, news flash honey, nothing is going to change. A plant will never grow if you don’t water it, in fact, it will probably not do so well if ya know what I mean.
Some people will never be fully satisfied with their lives and that’s okay, as long as they never stop chasing their dreams. There is no excuse for complaints if you don’t enact something to change what’s making you unhappy. You have to work with what you’ve got. Make the best of it.
