Perspective.
No matter where we go, what we do, or how we feel, we all have the conscious ability to choose our perspective, our outlook on the events that transpire- on a daily, weekly, monthly, yearly basis. I feel as if Happiness has become a sort of fairy tale in recent times. Recently I've been reading the book Flow by Mihaly Csikszentmihalyi, and he makes a great point- in the past thousand years, we have come a LONG way in terms of technological and social advancement. Yet despite all of these "new" and amazing things, it doesn't seem as if much more of us are any happier.
In my opinion, I feel like people are only getting sadder. There seems to be this increasingly pessimistic view of the world permeating the planet- just turn on the news, and there you are greeted by the most recent tragedy. Drugs are becoming an ever increasing problem in our society, just as substance abuse with things like alcohol, cigarettes, nicotine, etc.
So that's where the real question lies- why is all of this happening? Well, here's my opinion. Technology and humanity overall have advanced so quickly that our minds and mentalities have been unable to catch up. Life is like a scale- and right now, the whole human race is very far out of balance.
No, we are not thriving. We are struggling. I see more and more teens chasing the latest, fad, trend, or whatever it may be. I mean seriously, where did Juuls come from, and why are teens taking them over, thinking it's "hip" to be inhaling chemicals into their bodies? And this is where perspective comes in.
People in the present time love instant gratification. A decreasingly few number of people understand that true happiness and joy is found not by pleasures and giving in to desires, but in growing as an individual and in overcoming struggles. Their perspectives often times are that of the victim- I didn't mean to break the law. I didn't mean to fail my test. I didn't mean to get drunk and black out last night. And where does it get them? Right back where they started, often times even worse off.
Ask any recovered addict about their mindset while they were addicted, and they will tell you the same thing. Each day, they put off their duties until tomorrow. Each day, they victimized themselves. And look, I am in no way shape or form saying that addicts or individuals with mental problems have 100% control over their actions, because they don't. Often times their subconscious states have been overridden by their repeated actions.
But if there's one thing I know, it's that conscious actions have the ability to, when repeated, overcome subconscious patterns that are ingrained in an individual. We have the ability to control our perspectives and reactions to the events that occur and to the actions we take. When it rains, you can get pissed off that you got wet and not learn anything from it, and have a horrible rest of the day- or, you can learn from it, remember to pack an umbrella, and carry on with your day in a peaceful manner.
That's what perspective is all about- being at peace with ourselves, in the moment. Controlling our responses in order to ensure our peace and happiness. Not worrying about the future, or stressing about the past- but just being fully absorbed and captivated by the moment. Babies are a fantastic example of this- they just are in their own worlds, serene and content. Although they may get upset, they are quick to learn from it and return to a peaceful state. They do not overthink or worry. They are simply just present.
So what's the takeaway from this? The next time something goes wrong or you mess up, just let it go. Instead of asking yourself "How can I punish myself for doing this wrong?", ask "What can I learn from this? Was this something that I can control? Was I acting in the manner that I want to act, or was I being rash or immature?". There is a saying that goes "If you keep doing what you're doing, you're going to keep doing what you're doing." It may be obvious, but very overlooked. If you keep putting yourself into situations that make you unhappy, you're going to keep being unhappy- you'll even get progressively more unhappy.
Try to control your perspective. Ask yourself the unpopular, tough questions. Learn to take your emotions out of the equation sometimes and act rationally. When you learn to be present, you might just find happiness. You will have understood what I mean about being present. You'll become the person that others dream of being. And you'll understand why you kept getting more and more unhappy in the past. It will all come full circle.
Greatness, Happiness, Success, Gratification- they are all out there. You just have to learn to look in the right place with the right mindset.
JD3 out.
#RocketFuel #KeepUP
In my opinion, I feel like people are only getting sadder. There seems to be this increasingly pessimistic view of the world permeating the planet- just turn on the news, and there you are greeted by the most recent tragedy. Drugs are becoming an ever increasing problem in our society, just as substance abuse with things like alcohol, cigarettes, nicotine, etc.
So that's where the real question lies- why is all of this happening? Well, here's my opinion. Technology and humanity overall have advanced so quickly that our minds and mentalities have been unable to catch up. Life is like a scale- and right now, the whole human race is very far out of balance.
No, we are not thriving. We are struggling. I see more and more teens chasing the latest, fad, trend, or whatever it may be. I mean seriously, where did Juuls come from, and why are teens taking them over, thinking it's "hip" to be inhaling chemicals into their bodies? And this is where perspective comes in.
People in the present time love instant gratification. A decreasingly few number of people understand that true happiness and joy is found not by pleasures and giving in to desires, but in growing as an individual and in overcoming struggles. Their perspectives often times are that of the victim- I didn't mean to break the law. I didn't mean to fail my test. I didn't mean to get drunk and black out last night. And where does it get them? Right back where they started, often times even worse off.
Ask any recovered addict about their mindset while they were addicted, and they will tell you the same thing. Each day, they put off their duties until tomorrow. Each day, they victimized themselves. And look, I am in no way shape or form saying that addicts or individuals with mental problems have 100% control over their actions, because they don't. Often times their subconscious states have been overridden by their repeated actions.
But if there's one thing I know, it's that conscious actions have the ability to, when repeated, overcome subconscious patterns that are ingrained in an individual. We have the ability to control our perspectives and reactions to the events that occur and to the actions we take. When it rains, you can get pissed off that you got wet and not learn anything from it, and have a horrible rest of the day- or, you can learn from it, remember to pack an umbrella, and carry on with your day in a peaceful manner.
That's what perspective is all about- being at peace with ourselves, in the moment. Controlling our responses in order to ensure our peace and happiness. Not worrying about the future, or stressing about the past- but just being fully absorbed and captivated by the moment. Babies are a fantastic example of this- they just are in their own worlds, serene and content. Although they may get upset, they are quick to learn from it and return to a peaceful state. They do not overthink or worry. They are simply just present.
So what's the takeaway from this? The next time something goes wrong or you mess up, just let it go. Instead of asking yourself "How can I punish myself for doing this wrong?", ask "What can I learn from this? Was this something that I can control? Was I acting in the manner that I want to act, or was I being rash or immature?". There is a saying that goes "If you keep doing what you're doing, you're going to keep doing what you're doing." It may be obvious, but very overlooked. If you keep putting yourself into situations that make you unhappy, you're going to keep being unhappy- you'll even get progressively more unhappy.
Try to control your perspective. Ask yourself the unpopular, tough questions. Learn to take your emotions out of the equation sometimes and act rationally. When you learn to be present, you might just find happiness. You will have understood what I mean about being present. You'll become the person that others dream of being. And you'll understand why you kept getting more and more unhappy in the past. It will all come full circle.
Greatness, Happiness, Success, Gratification- they are all out there. You just have to learn to look in the right place with the right mindset.
JD3 out.
#RocketFuel #KeepUP
Comments
Post a Comment