life isn’t supposed to be easy all the time; you aren’t supposed to be happy all the time
November 22nd, 2011
with all the media, blogging and positive psychology study around happiness, i’ve noticed now that people have a hidden belief or assumption that you’re supposed to be happy all. the. time. hell no! that’s inhuman, unnatural, and not the purpose of your life. you are supposed to feel the whole range of emotions, including ones like anger and sadness – just in moderation 🙂
and, with the 4-hour workweek movement, the idea is spreading that life can and should be easy all. the. time. and if it’s not, or you’re – god forbid – angry, sad or frustrated…then something is wrong, and you’re falling behind. it’s as much a guilt-creation as freedom-creation movement.
the value of life is not determined by your job, looks, or financial worth, but by the memories, lessons in love and growth as a person. somewhere/how in our society, we lost sight of this.. perhaps because its easier to turn away from the hard challenges of life (in work, love, parenting, health, etc) rather than face them and grow through them. life isn’t supposed to be easy – that’s not where most of your growth comes from. haven’t you grown as a person the most from the hardest parts of your life?
So – happy Thanksgiving! a perfect time to reflect on what is truly valuable and meaningful in your life.
a longer version of the video (take 1)…which my wife Jessica preferred!
i’m curious –
If you watched them both, which video do you prefer? Longer, or shorter?
6 Responses to “life isn’t supposed to be easy all the time; you aren’t supposed to be happy all the time”
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November 23rd, 2011 at 8:15 am
Aaron, Amen! People who are authentic and have a bit of variety to their personality are more fun to be around. Negative people tend to drain me, but being happy 24/7 is boring :).
I like both the vids, but the first one fits my attention span better!
Be good!
Eliot.
November 23rd, 2011 at 2:09 pm
Longer. Though it might be just a hair too long. Great message and dead on. Find the balance – that’s what’s real.
November 25th, 2011 at 10:49 am
I totally agree. Similarly I find people think they’re supposed to fearless all the time. So if in the process of launching their business they feel twangs of anxiety or self-doubt they take that to mean their on the wrong track when in reality fear, self-doubt, knowing and not knowing, all just go with the territory.
Great post!
Valerie
November 26th, 2011 at 6:27 am
[…] remember life isn’t supposed to be easy, and the value of your life is not determined by your job, looks, or financial worth, but by the memories, lessons in love and growth as a person. list-making advice: some people say make a gratitude list every night. i think that’s great to get in the habit, but if you make sure you do it every day, it becomes a chore rather than helpful. i’d suggest that whenever you feel anxiety or fears or jealousy come up, that’s when you make the lists or practice shifting your attiude and letting go of fears. […]
November 27th, 2011 at 6:03 pm
So happiness is a byproduct of being authentic, and authenticity is recognizing that we are here to grow, and doing just that. Growing, even when we are not happy about the obstacles that can keep us from growing.
Thanks for sharing your video. I see here that It’s important to stop the busyness every once in awhile and find a beach with someone you love and talk about these things.
April 28th, 2012 at 9:52 am
[…] it’s not a magic pill to make everything in life easy for your child (post: life isn’t supposed to be easy all the time; you aren’t supposed to be happy all the tim…). It’s more like a business that has a lot of extra cash in the bank – it doesn’t […]