I remind my Girl often that her "job" in life is to collect as much happiness in a day that she can, and to share only what she chooses. So long as what she gathers is not deliberately done to hurt people, or herself in the process.
If done in a way that is morally and ethically kosher, one certainly can't lose by collecting their own happiness - the toughest part for some, is figuring out what makes them truly happy, not only with what they've gathered, also with the way in which they've made their selections.
When I am harvesting my own happiness, I'm consciuolsy collecting what I know sits well with the person I choose to be. I don't worry about what other people think of me, and I've let go of friendships and relationships that contribute no joy to my basket. I do not feel the need to explain to those I've left behind why I've written myself out of their story, I don't hate those I no longer choose to love, I simply cannot afford to give away pieces of myself to relationships that leave me feeling unbalanced. I have certain expectations of myself, and they are high expectations...so far, I feel really good about where I'm at in relation to my priorities in life. My responsibilities are straight forward, and my joy is fueled by all aspects of my life.
I choose to be honest with myself at all times, and I feel strongly that no one in my personal life has the right to demand anything of me. They can ask. And I can decide what's best for me in that moment and given situation. Not happy with my answer or action? That's not my issue. It's 100% yours - go deal with it, and don't waste time trying to shoot me down with your anger, and don't bother with passive aggressive guilt trips, and don't burden me with how you feel I've offended you.
We either choose to feel offended, or we choose to understand. If we choose to try to understand, then we nurture our ability to accept realities outside the way we think the world "should" work. I tend to think that all these "shoulds" tamper with our intellect, render us irrational & retaliatory...we believe we should apologize for hurting someone's feelings, we should go to church, we should eat our vegetables, etc.
No.
We can choose to apologize if we recognize that we've hurt a loved one's feelings, and we know it will grow the relationship in good ways. We can choose to go to church or not, we can elect to eat our vegetables. We choose everyday from the large and small options available to us at any given moment. these choices are based on knowledge of who we are, and the understanding we have of our own place in the moment, within the context of a given situation. If we choose because we think we should, then we are not being responsible for our own happiness - we are relinquishing our powers to the ideas of others. Who is happy in that situation? Maybe the people you are striving to please and appease, and chances are, they are not satisfied with your efforts because you probably are not living up to their expectations of you. Remember to smile while carrying that burden on your shoulders every day!
I collected a great deal of happiness on my work trip to Rigolet this past week, and I've gathered a lot more since returing to my traditional territory last night, and I've collected more today within my home, and it's only 1:50 pm. Now it's time for me to get out and collect happiness from my surroundings.
If I haven't seen you in a while, and we bump into each other, maybe we'll choose to take a few minutes to share some of the happiness we've each taken the time to harvest, or maybe our passing smiles will be enough.
Happy harvesting, Loves!
If done in a way that is morally and ethically kosher, one certainly can't lose by collecting their own happiness - the toughest part for some, is figuring out what makes them truly happy, not only with what they've gathered, also with the way in which they've made their selections.
When I am harvesting my own happiness, I'm consciuolsy collecting what I know sits well with the person I choose to be. I don't worry about what other people think of me, and I've let go of friendships and relationships that contribute no joy to my basket. I do not feel the need to explain to those I've left behind why I've written myself out of their story, I don't hate those I no longer choose to love, I simply cannot afford to give away pieces of myself to relationships that leave me feeling unbalanced. I have certain expectations of myself, and they are high expectations...so far, I feel really good about where I'm at in relation to my priorities in life. My responsibilities are straight forward, and my joy is fueled by all aspects of my life.
I choose to be honest with myself at all times, and I feel strongly that no one in my personal life has the right to demand anything of me. They can ask. And I can decide what's best for me in that moment and given situation. Not happy with my answer or action? That's not my issue. It's 100% yours - go deal with it, and don't waste time trying to shoot me down with your anger, and don't bother with passive aggressive guilt trips, and don't burden me with how you feel I've offended you.
We either choose to feel offended, or we choose to understand. If we choose to try to understand, then we nurture our ability to accept realities outside the way we think the world "should" work. I tend to think that all these "shoulds" tamper with our intellect, render us irrational & retaliatory...we believe we should apologize for hurting someone's feelings, we should go to church, we should eat our vegetables, etc.
No.
We can choose to apologize if we recognize that we've hurt a loved one's feelings, and we know it will grow the relationship in good ways. We can choose to go to church or not, we can elect to eat our vegetables. We choose everyday from the large and small options available to us at any given moment. these choices are based on knowledge of who we are, and the understanding we have of our own place in the moment, within the context of a given situation. If we choose because we think we should, then we are not being responsible for our own happiness - we are relinquishing our powers to the ideas of others. Who is happy in that situation? Maybe the people you are striving to please and appease, and chances are, they are not satisfied with your efforts because you probably are not living up to their expectations of you. Remember to smile while carrying that burden on your shoulders every day!
I collected a great deal of happiness on my work trip to Rigolet this past week, and I've gathered a lot more since returing to my traditional territory last night, and I've collected more today within my home, and it's only 1:50 pm. Now it's time for me to get out and collect happiness from my surroundings.
If I haven't seen you in a while, and we bump into each other, maybe we'll choose to take a few minutes to share some of the happiness we've each taken the time to harvest, or maybe our passing smiles will be enough.
Happy harvesting, Loves!