Don’t expect less.
Assume you’re entitled to live the life you want.
Bank on the fact that you will be happy, healthy, and fulfilled.
Believe that it’s going to work out the way you want it.
If it turns out otherwise, you’ll adjust.
Expect More
Video: Science of Happiness – An Experiment in Gratitude
Watch this video! You won’t regret it.
How to be Happier – Quickly
Where you are in life is basically the result of the behaviors and choices you have chosen to do and take so far.
Those choices are based in large part on how you viewed the world at the time, which is what we call “attitude.”
Your attitude is “the complex interaction between feelings and beliefs that affect how you view the world – and therefore how you react to it.” Therefore, your attitude is made up out of feelings and your beliefs, which stem from your thoughts.
So, to make your life happier, take a moment to make your next thought happier.
Repeat whenever possible.
Reach Out; Take a Hand
Because this column has been running almost ten years, I’m taking a leap of faith and assuming not everyone started reading it day one. Therefore, especially with a title of, “Striving for Imprefection,” (sic) one might not easily comprehend why I write so often about weight and diet.
Born overweight and battling obesity through my early and teen years, I for the first time in my life, reached my correct weight when I lost about 100 pounds at age 17. However, I put it back on when I was in my twenties (sigh…), having to shed about 80 pounds, and thereby becoming a leader/facilitator for a major international weight loss company. In those days, I was a rarity; being male and “young.” Moreover, my primary meeting had a weekly attendance of over 100 people. To further cement my bona fides, I was chosen as one of twenty people in the entire U.S. and Canada to be a role model for the company when they celebrated their 20th anniversary in New York City in 1983. We were escorted to Broadway plays, received a complete “make over” (which made me look ridiculous), and I got to meet the founder of the company. (Oh yes, we were indeed treated to copious amounts of food at five-star restaurants.)
Despite my “rock star” star status in weight loss circles, I stopped attending meetings due to a dispute I had with a supervisor.
To “teach her a lesson,” I regained about 70 pounds. Old feelings of humiliation and self-loathing re-manifested themselves, and yet I did everything I could to avoid returning. My back pained me 24/7. My marriage was a mess; my attitude was worse. People who know me today consider me “positive.” They would not have used that adjective then. I was forever unhappy.
Yet, I still refused to seek help, thinking the shame of returning was even worse than the nagging unhappiness and hurt that refused to leave.
On my 39th birthday, after everyone had gone to bed, I got down on my knees, bent over the garbage can, and ate the leftover birthday cake I had placed in the tin earlier that evening. Am I proud of this? Of course not. However, it is part of me and I’ve learned to release the shame I hold about poor choices. More importantly, it was the turning point that made me decide to seek help once again.
Are you Independent or Stubborn?
Are you independent or are you stubborn?
It’s a fine line between being “independent” and being “stubborn.”
Being independent means being able to get along and function on your own without needing anyone else’s help nor approval. It also means you are open to hearing other’s ideas and to learning better ways to move forward.
However, being stubborn means insisting that you know how to do what you do irrespective of evidence or offered support; even if it’s not getting the best results. Stubbornness means you’re more determined to get your way rather than get it done well. In reality, stubbornness harms relationships and holds you back.
It’s a sign of strength to ask for help when you need it. It’s a sign of maturity to recognize when you need the help.
Even strong independent people have areas where they need others.
Recognize them. Get help.