13 May Have you got used to negative stuff in your life?
by Dr. Happy (HERE)
Several months ago, while mucking around with my kids on holidays, I scratched my glasses. To those of you with perfect vision this might not seem like a big deal but as those with spectacles would well be aware, a small scratch or mark on one's lenses can be extremely distracting.
For weeks afterwards all I could focus on was that one small mark.
For weeks afterwards I found myself repeatedly feeling frustrated and distracted by this one small mark.
And then I wasn't.
Interestingly, after a relatively short period of time, I became used to that mark; I didn't just tolerate it but amazingly, I hardly ever noticed it anymore. It's still there but it doesn't bother me nearly as much or nearly as often as it used to.
Now if you're thinking this has nothing to do with you because you (1) don't wear glasses or (2) your glasses are not scratched then please keep reading because there is, in my humble opinion, a lesson here for all of us. In fact there are several lessons that go something like this…
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Firstly, what might be distressing or distracting initially can lose it's power if you just accept it. Pain doesn't last forever, more often than not, as all things pass
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Secondly, we often get used to things, which as noted above, can be good, but which can also be bad if it means we're tolerating negative aspects of our lives when we might not need to. For many of us there are subtle, or not so subtle, problems in our lives we've accepted and they may be having a negative impact on our happiness and success without us even being aware any longer
This, then, leads to two possibilities…
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If you're going through a rough patch then stick it out; it will almost always improve as most things don't last forever
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If you've accepted problems in your life then ask yourself…do you really want or need to? Are there things that are holding you back or causing you distress or limiting your happiness or success in some way which might be amenable to change or even removal? If so, get to it and fix some stuff!
Ultimately, we all want to live our best lives; sometimes, scratches get in the way or nag away at us without us always realising we might be able to do something to improve the situation. Take a minute to stop what ever it is you're doing and ask yourself whether there's something in your life that could easily be fixed or removed or remedied in some way and if it were…would allow you to enjoy better living?
As always, feel free to post your thoughts or comments or questions HERE on The Happiness Institute's Facebook Page