Reaching for happiness
“Follow your bliss and the universe will open doors for you where there were only walls.” — Joseph Campbell.
Happiness is abstract. It means different things to many individuals. It is a state of being, a fleeting emotion, a decision, a sense of balance between joy and despair, somewhere between ecstasy and delight. It could be the absence of pain, relief from pressure, or healing from illness.
The philosopher Lao Tzu once wrote, “By letting it go all gets done. The world is won by those who let it go. But when you try and try, the world is beyond winning.”
To be happy, we should change our attitude towards life, relationships, people, and, most importantly, oneself. It may be very difficult to struggle with ego and pride, but it is worth trying.
Here are some thoughts and quotes about giving up — both negative and positive.
We often want to be right — even at the risk of ending a great relationship or causing stress and pain.
Give up the need to be right. It seems that, in the long term, being kind is better than being right.
Give up the need for control. We should learn to allow people around us and things to go their own way.
Give up on blame. Blaming is passing the buck. We should not blame others for what we have, what we don’t have; for what we feel or don’t feel.
Give up on self-defeating self-talk. We must erase the negative, toxic, self-defeating mindset.
Eckhart Tolle wrote, “The mind is a superb instrument if used rightly. If used wrongly, however, it becomes very destructive.”
Give up your limiting beliefs. Spread your wings and soar! A belief is an idea that holds the mind.
Give up complaining. The power of positive thinking is essential. We must practice it daily.
Give up on criticism.
Give up on the need to impress others.
Give up your resistance to change. Change helps one to move forward from one point to another. Sometimes, sudden change may seem negative. It is a matter of knowing how to deal with it and how to accept it. One can learn how to make it positive.
Give up labels. Stop labeling people, things, and events that you don’t understand as being weird or different by opening your mind, little by little. The mind only works when it is open.
Wayne Dyer wrote, “The highest form of ignorance is when you reject something you don’t know anything about.”
Give up your fears. Fear is just an illusion.
US President Franklin D. Roosevelt once said, “The only thing we should fear is fear itself.”
Give up your excuses.
Give up the past. The past may appear much better than the present. (Nostalgia colors it somehow.) The future is worrisome. We have only the present moment and we should enjoy life. “Life is a journey, not a destination.”
Give up attachment. It is important to know how to detach oneself from material things, possessions. One can like a certain lifestyle level and enjoy some luxuries. But these pleasures are fleeting. They do not and cannot last forever. One could lose them all in an instant. A sudden economic downturn, a tragedy, a disaster.
One should be willing to let go. Then one can feel serene, tolerant, and attain understanding. It would be on a higher level.
Give up living your life according to other people’s expectations. Many individuals live a life that is not theirs — it is pretentious — instead of listening to their inner voice. It is not worth trying to please everybody because it makes one lose control over life.
We have only one life. We should own it and live it without the distractions and pressure of other people’s opinions.
It is time to take responsibility for our actions. That is how we become true to ourselves. Then one can attain a measure of happiness and contentment.
Happy new year to all!
Maria Victoria Rufino is an artist, writer and businesswoman. She is president and executive producer of Maverick Productions.
