There's an old human truism that "Misery Loves Company."
Without a doubt, there are a lot of miserable people in the world... or, at least, there are people who seem to have an endless string of unfortunate things happen in their lives.
Note, here, that I said happen IN their lives, not happen TO their lives.
Here's another popular truism for you, usually attributed to Abraham Lincoln, although there's no concrete evidence of that: "Folks Are Usually About as Happy as They Make Up Their Minds To Be."
Seems a bit confusing and contradictory... or is it?
Where Do You Direct Your Attention?
Most of us lives lives which are a blend of really good things, really bad things and (mostly) fairly neutral/indifferent things. That seems pretty much inevitable.
The more I think about it, the more it seems that what determines whether we're content or miserable has an awful lot to do with where we direct our attention.
Do you focus on your failures and shortcomings... and then feel miserable and unhappy, as a result? I'm sure I can look at my life and find a dozen things that have gone badly or are not turning out the way I had hoped.
Or do you focus on your accomplishments and successes... and feel a sense of contentment? Again, I can probably come up with a pretty good list of things that have turned out really well.
Where do you want to put your attention?
The Need to Control...
Another factor I often contemplate is the degree to which people feel compelled to control — and even micromanage — how everything in their lives turns out.
Life can be pretty chaotic and contains lots of things we really have little control over... from the weather to traffic accidents blocking the highway when we're on the way to the airport, to what the price of Hive will be, next week.
I remember my dad always wanting to control everything, and he also spent a lot of time being angry because things weren't going "his way."
Seems to me that the more you try to control everything, the more you will find yourself facing just how chaotic and unpredictable existence can be... and the more frustrations you'll experience.
Over the past decade or so, I have been endeavoring to teach myself to be a lot more open to simply embrace life and its "bumps in the road" pretty much as it comes to us. Which is not to suggest that we should abandon having plans, goals, hopes and ambitions... just that we perhaps would do well to "loosen the grip" on our need to have things turn out "exactly SO," all the time.
Of course, I still get disappointed when my plans don't turn out... but I don't lose sleep over it, anymore. Life is too short!
To take a very simple and close-to-home example, I can certainly hope that our Hive token will have risen to $2.00 by the end of 2022... but I am definitely not expecting anything specific, since the Cryptosphere repeatedly proves itself to be both volatile and unpredictable.
The thing is, we can pretty much always find something good about the moment in which we find ourselves. Of course, there ARE exceptions... but let us recognize those for what they are: Exceptions. Not "the norm."
And with that... I'm going to say thanks for reading, and have a great Friday!
How about YOU? What do you usually think the MOST about? What happened that is GOOD, or what is BAD? DO you try to exercise control over everything? Or do you try to let life unfold as it comes to you? Comments, feedback and other interaction is invited and welcomed! Because — after all — SOCIAL content is about interacting, right? Leave a comment — share your experiences — be part of the conversation!
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Created at 20220630 23:41 PDT
0601/1847
I agree @denmarkguy that we can always find the good in the moment. I think when things get out of hand and harried and too much to bear finding the 'NOW' is important to be grounded in the moment and then realize that the Nows add up to endless futures and past. Boling down a bad day to one kernal of good thing often helps, even if it's just a book , looking out the window, a cup of your favorite tea, just to get the perspective.
Beautiful ❤️
Life is a combination of ups and downs, nothing is smooth in life. If we will only get happiness and there would be no misery the actual taste of that happiness would be gone away. But we should think positively, no matter how much trouble we face, e should not lose hope that one day all troubles will end.
Hi @denmarkguy The lifestyle in which I live, seemingly nomadic in nature most days, although organized most days, I tend to live life how it unfolds, although I have to admit to keeping it swept up well enough.
Needing order makes only one person happy usually.
Life doesn't have to be perfect to be enjoyed. I find that usually if it is not what I want, I usually don't lose the lesson in it. That is my hope, that I can find something salvageable about the moment.