The grass is green here too.

I find it fascinating how we seem to believe that other people are much happier than we are. If we are single, we envy the married couple or the new baby. If we are married, we wonder "what if" and we envy the freedom and time that our single friends have. If we have a big high power career or work very publicly, we crave the "leave your work AT work" and "privacy" of those who have different types of jobs. The curly haired want straight. The long legged want the tiny waists....you get the idea.

Working so many years with so many different kinds of people, I have learned a lot. Every day I learn a little more and realize just how little I know. EVERYONE has things they love about their lives. EVERYONE has things that make them miserable. The most amazing life on the outside does not feel that way from the inside. It takes hindsight to see this most often in our own lives. When your situation changes, you realize how lucky you were and that you never got to "enjoy it" because you were so focused on the things you WANTED.

It is vital that we at least TRY to change this is in our lives. I have been working hard on this lately. Mostly because I have friends who I am talking to on a daily basis and SEEING this phenomenon in action. Take a GOOD look at your life. Take a GOOD look at those you see as "having everything". You will see parts of their lives that they would trade you for in a heartbeat. When you get "all you ever wanted", you may be floored by the fact that you are not happy with it.

Look at your life with new eyes. What are the things that someone else would say "WOW, you are so lucky" about. Let me give you an example:

The single person: (this is easy for me so it's the longest list ha ha)

Having the choice to do whatever I like during my free time and never needing to "ask permission" or get a sitter. Sitting quietly and reading or going and doing ANYTHING I want. My career is what I make of it and has no limits. If I was offered an amazing job opportunity in China I could go there tomorrow. Could go on tour or join the circus. If someone has extra tickets, I can spontaniously go to any event at any time I want to. Can cook an amazing dinner or not. Clean my house or not. I can do everything on my to do list. I can work out whenever I want to.

The married person:

I love my children and family. They love me. I am never bored. The things I am working on are long lasting and the energy I put into them yield quality things.

I could do this list for:

The beautiful people: there is a lot of envy/ hate out there that you have to overcome before you even open up your mouth.

The famous:I am not free to come and go as I please and just people watch or be normal. I never know if I am loved for me or my fame.

The wealthy (this one is harder): I don't get the thrill of going places or getting gifts like when they weren't so easy to come by. Are my friends real or are they free loaders. There is nothing to aspire to or work to earn. I have no goals or dreams.

The whole point is that we are lucky. There are a million reasons why. The more we can try to focus on those things, the happier our lives will be. It is SO much easier to exercise and eat right when we are happy than when we are miserable. What if the choice was ours to make ?? Well, it is.

Story von Holzhausen

Liquid Strength