The greatest gift we are blessed with every day that we wake up is the gift of choice. We have the ability to choose to have a great day and the ability to have a bad one. We have the choice to eat healthy and the choice to contain fatty or unhealthy foods. When we get into relationships, we choose the person we commit to. Even the people we hang around are there by choice.
But just because we have that choice, that doesn’t mean it’s easy to choose. As humans, we make mistakes all the time. There are times where we make bad decisions. The issue comes when we neglect the fact that we have a choice. The moment we unconsciously decide that we are going to give up our power, we then choose to be miserable.
Misery happens by default. It happens when you do not have drive. It happens when you give up on wanting more for yourself. Settling is one of the biggest forms of misery because you dedicate yourself to something, knowing that it doesn’t meet the standard that you mentally created. Therefore, you agree to things without satisfaction. As a result, typically, you become angry more easily. You become tired more often. It feels as if you lack energy on the daily. You begin to do things with vague intentions and you neglect self-love, ultimately creating a multitude of issues in many areas of your life.
Not only is misery a lifestyle, it’s a form of thinking. You work jobs for money instead of working to gain skills in a field that interest you. You spend more money on yourself than time. When you’re miserable you barely set goals. You’re okay with being content, rather than being happy. It’s “normal” to trade how you feel for how others will feel. Giving up always seems like the better route when it comes to challenges and self-control is non-existent.
Often times when you’re miserable instead of keeping people around you that build you up, you choose to spend time with those that make you feel good. You stay in toxic relationships only to avoid loneliness. Even if you argue and fight with your mate every day, you stay around. You spend time with people only to fill a void or to support a habit. The people around you don’t have much of a purpose. They laugh at your dreams and tell you what they don’t believe you can accomplish. They allow you to make bad decisions because it doesn’t affect them.
When you have a miserable mindset, you make many decisions solely based off emotions. If you don’t want to do something, you won’t. It’s always about how you feel. Because of that, you often start things without finishing them. You continuously say that you want things that you aren’t willing to work for. You create excuses all the time. Blaming everyone else for everything that happens in your life seems like the best thing to do. There is no accountability. Until you realize that you are tired of being miserable, you will continue to be.
In other words, misery drives happiness. Once you get to the point of not wanting to live life the way you’re used to, you change. It is about making the choice to change your mindset. Instead of allowing life to push you around, you learn to take control. You plan your days and write out your goals. You spend time with yourself to get to know you better. When you wake up you have a routine that you abide by daily.
The conscious mind is the only way to create happiness. It’s not just an emotion. It’s not just a mood. Creating happiness has a lot to do with knowing who you are. If you don’t know what makes you happy, you can’t create happiness. You won’t know unless you take the time out to get to know you.
Happy people don’t work just for the money. When you’re happy, you work in a field that interest you and work diligently to gain new skills. What you want out of life matters more than your current situation. Therefore, often times you sacrifice the things you love for a better cause. But in order to do this you have to have a great deal of self-discipline.
Happiness can be very challenging but, no matter what, you have to push yourself. Unlike misery, you don’t make decisions based off how you feel. You make decisions based off what needs to happen. You don’t put yourself down, accepting any and everything. You set standards. You understand that not everyone is worth your time nor does everyone deserve it.
When you’re happy you surround yourself with good people. You make sure that you have a circle full of people that genuinely love you. You ensure that the people you spend your time with truly respect you and encourage you to be great. You value your time because you know that you only live once.
Choosing to be miserable or choosing to be happy is up to you. You have to make the decision whether you are satisfied with where you are now or whether you want change. Both lifestyles form the direction of your future. Misery is hard but it’s also convenient. Happiness is challenging but a lot less stressful. Through either lifestyle, you learn. Sometimes it’s through experience. Other times through wisdom and research. An optimistic mindset will go a lot further than a pessimist does.
