Real Life

“If there is nothing you can do, face what is and say, 

‘Well, right now, this is how it is. I can either accept it, or make myself miserable.'" 

-Eckhart Tolle

The reality of life is that it sometimes sucks.  

We all have crappy days, horrible weeks and difficult months.  

Sometimes we feel overwhelmed, undervalued, absent, and disconnected.  

It is called life.  

And it is real.

As a happiness teacher many people expect me to always be smiling and "happy".  

I usually explain that the science of happiness is not about displaying a pretty vase of flowers on the table, or ignoring life and pretending all is well.

It is about learning to walk that fine line with balance and lean toward optimism.

  

What is different in life when you lean toward optimism?

Is everything hunky dory all the time?  

Does it mean you have no troubles, strife or problems?

NO!  

I just wished my life sucked a little bit more, you know?

-Said no one ever

Our mental habits can cause us to wear blinders to our difficulties which can lead to ignoring and denial.  Or those same mental habits can promote overthinking and then we  continuously dwell on the what-ifs.  Neither way is helpful in the long run for both our physical and mental health.  There is a happy medium between these two extreme ways of dealing with real life.  You can be realistic but optimistic at the same time.  You know when you are having a less than positive happening in life and you just want to curl up and have the world go away but you don't.  You figure out what you need to do to make it through. 

Yes, sometimes it is hard to find good things in life, but you do.  

There is so much good in the world and it is easy to take those things for granted. 

Look around, make a list...... 

• a smile from a stranger
• a baby's laugh
• a friend posting on your Facebook wall
• a beautiful sunset
• a walk in nature
• the aroma of freshly brewed coffee

This list could go on and on.  

And that is the point.  

We can choose to see all bad, doom and gloom.... 

or we can pick ourselves up and try to make it better.  

Separate yourself from the problem.  

Be aware of what you are thinking and when you overthink. 

I am not saying we can solve all our problems or fix everything.  

On the contrary I am saying we for sure can't solve it all. 

Come up with a way to live with it by leaning toward optimism.

Manage your difficulties like a happiness whisperer.

Happiness is a choice that requires effort, 

especially when dealing with real life.