Michelle Branch and John Shanks wrote a song called “Are You Happy Now?” The song cautions about running away from yourself at one point. Happy Monday, or whatever Monday you choose. Are you not having a happy Monday? I understand that our emotions are like that mega pack of crayons and sometimes you have to color with the unpopular colors; however, I think it is safe to assume that most people want to be happy. Like the Lego Movie 2 said, “Everything’s not awesome, but that doesn’t mean we shouldn’t try.” I love the message about sticking together and building things together. If you are not happy maybe you are looking for it in the wrong places. I run a meditation group at work. Last week we focused on letting go of our anger to other people and trying to show compassion to people that challenge us. It was very liberating. Like a Lego brick, find a piece of something that makes you happy and use it to build on it. It could be as simple as enjoying a cup of coffee or tea, or a sunset. Helping others has shown to improve health and also spurs people to pay it forward.
But, and there is always a but – “I’m not strong enough to do this.” Maybe you are not strong enough right now at this very moment. Perhaps you are struggling to find a balance. Fighting yourself all the time is tiring. Maybe it is time to face your inner demons. You are stronger than you think and you do not have to do it alone. Think about redirecting your energy. If you struggle with your weight, you may be fighting a battle with food. Food in an of itself is not bad; it is your relationship to food. Maybe you are fighting exercise. No one said you have to do extreme super fit warrior training. My sister shared a video of a man too big to fit into his tub who started by simply flopping around. He found a community to help encourage him. If you are willing to do the work, people will help you. You do not have to get to your final destination today, but if you pull on your inner strength, you can start the journey.
Do not give up before you get started. What do you stand for? It may be difficult to move forward with your plans. Everyone has an opinion. Everyone is not you, and they can’t live your life for you. Once you get started, do not give up. You have to keep moving forward. You can change course, but try not to go backward. We learn by falling. Little kids often fall when they are trying to walk. They learn something from each spill until they master walking. Before you know it, they are off and running. Little kids are masters of imagination. They do not back down from their goals.
What’s next? Why are you afraid to trust yourself? Have I made choices that did not work out as expected? Absolutely and I learned from it. Yesterday, I was having trouble signing in to my storage unit. If I did not have that obstacle, I would not have noticed that the rent increased. I would have just blindly paid without question. How do you get better at trusting yourself? The same as how you get better at everything else. Practice. Tap into your inner self whether it be through meditation, prayer or your personal spiritual practice. Taking time to reflect on your life can help you find patterns. If you are unhappy, turn inward and find a root cause. Everything is not going to be awesome, twenty-four/seven, but it does not mean you should not try. Let’s build together.
