To follow up with the last blog post of "15 Things You Should Give Up to Be Happy", there's an article I found (again on facebook, get off it) that I enjoyed going through. It's a little bit shorter, a little bit more sarcastic, but still very very true. 32 Thoughts You Should Stop Caring About
In this "article", they talk about things that we really shouldn't care about (such as #4, what the people you don't like are posting on their Facebook statuses, or #8, the opinions of people who a) will never like you and b) have absolutely no bearing on your life) to things that are a little bit more fun to joke about (#21, how many followers you have on Twitter, or #25, eating salads on dates (can I get a burger wrapped in bacon, please?)), yet we still care about them.
Why is it that we do care about these things? Yes, some are worries that we have because of low self-worth/self-esteem, or trying to figure out what our path in life is really supposed to be (have we found it yet, are we even going in the right direction, wait, how old am I?). We all have worries, but most of them we really shouldn't worry about.
This complied list really brings forward what kind of things we wonder and think about, and ultimately worry about. The funny thing is, most of these things really shouldn't matter. It makes me remember to take a step back, breathe, and really think about what is important in our lives.
Is it what Kim Khardashian and Kanye West are doing every second? (yes, duh.) Is it what people might think of the dress you are wearing when going out to a bar with your friends for a girls night? (obviously, where have you been?) Is it being the only single one in your group of friends? (OH GOD KILL ME BEFORE THAT HAPPENS)
No, it's the things that we perceive to be a huge deal, when in the grand scheme of life, they aren't at all. We forget that these little things (while we need to treasure the good ones) can ultimately cause so much more stress in our life than we need.
There are going to be people that don't like you. You can't change that, as much as you would like to. There are going to be people who are thinner, better dressed, better spoken than you, but that's just how genetics works. You can only do the best with what you are given, and the sooner you learn to love it, the happier you will be.
And this isn't just about immediate happiness, it's more about overall and longlasting contentness. (Is that a word? It is now...) Once we stop caring about the little things that don't really impact our lives at all, we can actually start being happy (and worrying about the things that do impact our lives, like disease, poverty, etc.)
Does this mean that we're not going to worry about these little things? OF COURSE NOT. I know for a fact that I still worry about the little things A LOT. But, if we can just all take a breath once in a while, and forget about it for a bit, I think it could help us all out immensely.
Have a wonderful day, and weekend, people. I'm about to go on vacation for two weeks to gorge myself with fine Italian pasta, cappuccino and wine, so sorry if I go off the grid for a bit. Holla, and maybe just stop sweating the small stuff, yeah? :)
Thursday, May 30, 2013
Tuesday, May 7, 2013
and I hope you find it, you just want to take a faster ride, lower lows, higher highs.
There's an article I found online that I really enjoyed reading: 15 Things You Should Give Up To Be Happy. I know I'm always trying to endorse positive thinking and happiness, and as I was going through this article, a lot of things rang true.
Things that I have done to try to be happy since I've gained this attitude after travelling to New Zealand:
1. Give up your need to always be right. It's hard, because I like to think I'm right a lot, especially when I know a lot about certain subjects. However, I've found that there are other people like that as well. And while it's nice to be right, that good feeling goes away in about 0.4 seconds. So what's the point of always needing to be right? Just go with it.
8. Give up your need to impress others. Yes, there will be instances where you need to try to impress other people (for example, a job interview). However, and this is obviously still a work in progress, I've definitely tried to be comfortable in my own skin, and just be myself. If people aren't impressed with that, then obviously they didn't need to be in my life. The friends and family I have are so great and have always been so encouraging in whatever I've wanted to do... those are the only people I need in my life.
Things that I need to do/continue to do better to do these to be happy:
2. Give up your need for control. This is always so hard for me to do. I am definitely my mother's daughter, and her nickname is Captain-Commander. Not by coincidence, but because she wants to have control over every aspect in her life. I am very similar, but since getting to grad school, I'm slowly loosing the reins on that. Things are going to work, or they are not, and most of the time you can't control that. The only thing you get from trying to be in control is stress. Everything happens for a reason, but it's less stressful to let them happen, and then deal with what comes next.
6. Give up complaining. Too many times, I complain about the littlest of things. I guess we're all wishing for something better, that something better is out there, and want that. So we complain about the things we have now, even when they're great. I know I have to go back, reflect, regroup and remember to enjoy what I have in my life, since it definitely could be worse.
---------
Ultimately, you are in charge of your own destiny and happiness. The guide above definitely can help you if you're in a rut in how to be happy. Happiness happens from moment to moment, and sometimes you have to work at it. But it's just part of an amazing journey that is called your life.
Are there things that you need to work on from this list? Goodness knows I have a lot to still work on, but it can happen over time. It doesn't have to all fall into place right now.
Go enjoy this beautiful spring weather, people. Go to a baseball game, for a walk in the park, read a book on the porch with a good cup of coffee. Do what you enjoy with people you enjoy. That's a pretty easy way to be happy, I think.
Stay positive, and until next time.
Things that I have done to try to be happy since I've gained this attitude after travelling to New Zealand:
1. Give up your need to always be right. It's hard, because I like to think I'm right a lot, especially when I know a lot about certain subjects. However, I've found that there are other people like that as well. And while it's nice to be right, that good feeling goes away in about 0.4 seconds. So what's the point of always needing to be right? Just go with it.
8. Give up your need to impress others. Yes, there will be instances where you need to try to impress other people (for example, a job interview). However, and this is obviously still a work in progress, I've definitely tried to be comfortable in my own skin, and just be myself. If people aren't impressed with that, then obviously they didn't need to be in my life. The friends and family I have are so great and have always been so encouraging in whatever I've wanted to do... those are the only people I need in my life.
Things that I need to do/continue to do better to do these to be happy:
2. Give up your need for control. This is always so hard for me to do. I am definitely my mother's daughter, and her nickname is Captain-Commander. Not by coincidence, but because she wants to have control over every aspect in her life. I am very similar, but since getting to grad school, I'm slowly loosing the reins on that. Things are going to work, or they are not, and most of the time you can't control that. The only thing you get from trying to be in control is stress. Everything happens for a reason, but it's less stressful to let them happen, and then deal with what comes next.
6. Give up complaining. Too many times, I complain about the littlest of things. I guess we're all wishing for something better, that something better is out there, and want that. So we complain about the things we have now, even when they're great. I know I have to go back, reflect, regroup and remember to enjoy what I have in my life, since it definitely could be worse.
---------
Ultimately, you are in charge of your own destiny and happiness. The guide above definitely can help you if you're in a rut in how to be happy. Happiness happens from moment to moment, and sometimes you have to work at it. But it's just part of an amazing journey that is called your life.
Are there things that you need to work on from this list? Goodness knows I have a lot to still work on, but it can happen over time. It doesn't have to all fall into place right now.
Go enjoy this beautiful spring weather, people. Go to a baseball game, for a walk in the park, read a book on the porch with a good cup of coffee. Do what you enjoy with people you enjoy. That's a pretty easy way to be happy, I think.
Stay positive, and until next time.
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)