Most of us live life backward!
We all struggle to “HAVE” and then “DO” so that we can “BE” happy.
If only I had more time; if I had more money; if I could have that house or that job, If I had that special someone in my life, then I could do X, Y, and Z, and then I can be happy, satisfied, content, etc…right?
If the mentality of, HAVE, DO, BE was the right one, then how come so many hardworking people don’t have peace of mind? Why do we have so many broken hearts, failed marriages, and people suffering in isolation? How come stress and anxiety are at its ultimate high?
So many people HAVE so much and can do whatever they want, yet the are miserable, and unhappy?
We as a society are conditioned to live life backward in the never-ending cycle of “need to have, to be _____.”
We spend most of our lives, if not entirely, waiting for life to begin, waiting for happiness to magically appear once we have collected all the “stuff.”
The reality is that we are never going to have it all, there is always something better and bigger that we are going to want. The moment we have that thing that we want, we move on to the next item on the list of need to have. The more we collect our “haves,” the less we appreciate it, the more we take it for granted and rush to do more to get to the next thing on our list of must-have.
Although this longing has served the human race to thrive, it has left a void in our spiritual being. Unfortunately, this model of living is like pedaling a hamster wheel; you keep going and going with no light in sight to your “happy place.” We get stuck in a spiral of nerve-wracking, exhausting tasks, goals, and unfinished to-do lists in hopes of one day reaching the desired end result. Sadly, the list of our “HAVES” is never-ending, and therefore we can never BE.
Whatever that your “HAVES” encompasses, whether it’s money, education, a good relationship, fame, or power, the common denominator is happiness. Think about it! Whatever we do, whatever our goals are, we do them to ultimately be HAPPY.
If you were to be asked for “What purpose” you do the things you do, or for what purpose you want to have the things you want to have, most certainly the final answer close to the top of the pyramid is HAPPINESS!
If happiness is what we are after, why wait a lifetime to gather all the “haves,” so maybe someday we BE-come happy?
So, here is a crazy proposition! Why not BE what you want to be first, DO the things you want to do and as the outcome HAVE the things you desire? In other words, instead of living life in HAVE, DO, BE approach life in BE, DO, HAVE manner.
The BE, DO, HAVE way of life is a conscious choice we make. It comes from strength and allows us to grow mentally, emotionally, and spiritually as oppose to HAVE, DO, BE that comes from a place of anticipation, doubt, expectation, and chance.
After all, happiness is a state of mind. It’s an inside job, not an external one.
It may seem unnatural to live life this way because we are conditioned to external gratifications to identify ourselves. We are constantly bombarded by ads, that we need have certain things, to be able to do certain things to be worthy. Happiness does not come from things, and if it does, it is only temporary.
If you can define who you are regardless of your job title, your material possessions, or your fame and popularity, you are on the right track.
Living a happy life starts from inside you, and from how content you are with yourself regardless of externalities.
This way of living needs practice and patience; give yourself daily homework. Every day when you wake up, give yourself a few affirmations. Declare it. I am content, I am peaceful, I am grateful, I AM HAPPY.
Living life from a positive state of being is the foundation for a balanced and fulfilled life. You can manage stress more effectively, you can have better relationships, more opportunities, become more productive and focused and simply be at your best in whatever you do.
Life flows a lot smoother when you come from a positive state of being.
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