This morning, I stepped in dog doo. Twice.
I have four dogs, so it’s inevitable some days the poo ends up on the shoe. Sometimes little snafus like this can be enough to ruin your whole day. The thought process can take a serious downward spiral that has nothing to do with your shoe.
"Wow this sucks. Eww! It won’t come off. Gross. Cleaning this up is going to make me late getting to work. I’m never going to get my book finished and make tens of millions like that guy on the Web. Oh and it looks like my dog needs to go to the vet too. My life really stinks."
Okay, that might be a bit extreme, but I think you know what I mean. Thoughts can be powerful and this is an example of how your thoughts can affect you. Some thoughts are so ingrained that they create your reality.
If you are online, you’re probably deluged with marketing messages every day that can start to cloud your thinking. That dog doo thought process hit a slippery slope when the brain started comparing your life to someone else’s.
If you believed the online gurus, you’d think everyone was wealthy and living a perfect, stress-free life. If you believed the news media, you’d think we’re all standing in line at the food bank. Neither portrayal is true. Your happiness isn’t related to the amount of stuff you can buy. When people brag about making millions or the news media bemoans the state of the economy, tune it out.
Instead, when your thoughts take a downward spin, consider what makes you happy. For example, I love my dogs. They are furry, funny and just being around them makes my life better. In some circles it’s unpopular to say it, but I think being happy is the only goal anyone needs to have in life.
Sure it’s hedonistic, but what’s so wrong with being happy anyway? Many people are out there saying that if you aren’t making millions, publishing best-selling books, selling out events, or living in a huge house, you must not be happy. I’d argue that comparing yourself to other people’s definition of "success" is a sure way to make yourself unhappy.
What makes me happy probably isn’t what makes you happy. Maybe writing is important to you. Maybe it’s being with your family. Maybe it’s seeing the world. Maybe it’s living in the middle of a forest or on a lake.
Figure out what’s most important to you. Avoid the nay-sayers and think about what makes you happy. Then, as Thoreau said, you can, "Go confidently in the direction of your dreams. Live the life you imagined."
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