a long life and a good dinner:
that, in the dinner,
the sweets come last.
~Robert Louis Stevenson~
I was re-reading my tweets tonight – that’s what you call the little 140 character messages sent out over the internet throughout the day on Twitter – when I got to this one:
It was simple and included symbols for an ascii one line symbol picture of a house/home. It may have been a short tweet with a message that almost seemed silly, but notice that it was posted on Monday. A little message that said, “Looking for Friday” almost like a begging plea for four days of my life to be over.
Why do we wish our life away?
There are so many answers to why we wish our life way, but the most basic reason is that we are unhappy in our current life, our current self or both. Is it really that simple? We wish our life away so that we can get to the happy part of it. That’s depressing!!!
How do we stop wishing our life to be over?
If unhappiness is the key, let’s arm ourselves with some knowledge to help ourselves.
15 things to do to be happy enough to stop wishing your life away
- Live in the moment – Consciously make an effort to live this moment to the fullest. Enjoy now. Find things right this second that brings you pleasure and happiness. Notice the little things and expand on them with pleasant thoughts and feelings. For instance: When you wash your hands, enjoy the feel of the water and the fragrance of the soap. Appreciate your hands and the ability and energy you have to stand at a sink and freely wash them.
- Control your thoughts – In order to “live in the moment,” it is necessary to push away the thoughts of “I should have,” or “I wish I had,” or “I could have.” Don’t you think that if you could have done something differently at the time, you would have done so? At the time you made the decision, it was the best you could do with who you were and where you were at that time of life.
- Accept your beauty – Yes, you are beautiful. Period. Accept it.
- Enjoy the simple pleasures – Bathing, walking, feeling the warmth of the fireplace and the sweet sounds of appreciation from family and/or friends over the delicious dinner are all things that can be fully enjoyed. Simple.
- Slow it way down – Not only should you slow it way down, but you should also take regular stops to reassess your actions and the direction they are taking you. You need to learn to take it one step at a time. While stopped, it will also help you to see the simple pleasures that you should be enjoying (see #4).
- Build relationships – Encourage and build relationships that buoy your spirit. Be sure to have at least one friend that brings a lot of laughter into your life. Draw from the relationships and freely give back. The openness is healing.
- Laugh at yourself -Many things in life are very serious, but the world will not be rocked from it’s axis just because you ran over a nail or shattered the dinner plate. These things happen (especially to me) so learn to accept them with humor as a part of life.
- Learn – Knowledge has, is and always will be power. It gives you the power to be a more interesting, well rounded person who can solve life’s problems a little easier. Learning is fun! Whether you are learning how to finally change your automobile’s oil, sew a dress, quilt a bedspread, edge the lawn without nicking the plants or program the voice mail on your telephone, it is all learning. Like I said…learning is and can be fun.
- Appreciate the beauty of nature – Nature has a calming effect if we take the time to appreciate the intricacies and wonderment of natural things like a spider web, an ant colony, the silky petals of a flower, the variety of colors in the sunset, finding a four leaf clover, the birth of an animal or a million other things found in the wild of nature.
- Empty the schedule – Leave the important and necessary items on your “to do” list, but throw the rest of the list in the trash at least once a week. Take the time to enjoy carefree timelessness. Not only is it good for your mind, it is great for rejuvenating the body.
- Set goals – Re-evaluate your life and determine the things you want to accomplish. Set goals and outline a plan to help in the achievement of said goals. Keep it loose, so that you do not add pressure, burden or stress to your life. This activity should be upbeat. Be active in your life’s direction and plan for success.
- Cultivate hope to stave off depression – The Nothing is real and I’m sure you know someone who has been there if you have somehow escaped it yourself.
- Face your problems – Whether it is a hardship of the body or a depression of the mind, face the problems that drag you down and do something to help yourself. You are the greatest “project” that you can “accomplishment,” so be willing to invest the time to give yourself a step up to the next rung in the ladder of life. The last time I checked, problems don’t fix themselves. It usually takes a little work, but all problems can be corrected or coped with in style/grace.
- Celebrate your success – All along the way and with each accomplishment, be sure to pat yourself on the back in appreciation of a job well done. Invite family and friends to share in the occasion. Share a piece of your life and the joy you feel with your successes.
- Be aware of your mortality – None of us can live forever. Realize that you are not going to live forever and that you only have a certain amount of time to accomplish the things you want to do. Accept it and go through your life with vigor and excitement for the minutes you are living.
- Breathe deeply – Enjoy the breath that fills your lungs when you breathe in and as you exhale enjoy the warmth that your body has added to the air. Let your body relax and concentrate on just the physical activity of breathing. Not only is this good for your body and mind, but also it will help cultivate peace in your soul. Breathing will help you control stress in a proactive way.
When I tweet about being excited for Friday, I usually don’t really intend to sound like I am wishing my life away. I truly do get pumped up thinking about Friday and the weekend because I get to be home doing the things I love to do. I think I really could solve this whole Friday obsession by just working from home as an author or write a financially successful blog.
I think I need to re-evaluate my goals.
#1 – Find a job/profession that keeps me within the four walls of my home.
Looks and sounds great! So where do I start? Oh, that’s right…
Is it Friday yet and can I have dessert before dinner?
Are you wishing your life away or do you enjoy the sweetness of each day?
I'd like to add
17. Live without regrets: Don't waste time or energy with regrets about what you should have done or could have done. It is history. You can learn from the past, resolve to do better, get lessons. But we all make mistakes or do not always choose the best path. That is fine because we are all imperfect, and need to accept ourselves as imperfect. The only thing you can do anything about is the present and possibly the future. I've seen too many lives ruined by living too much in the past.
Depends…
I stopped wishing my life away when I was quite young…Once I said that I wished I was older than I actually was and my granddaddy (whom I ADORED) said, "Stop wishing your life away. It goes by too fast." So, I stopped. Now, if anyone else had said that to me…LOL
What a lovely and inspiring post! Thank you! I really appreciate being reminded of all of these beautiful moments we have right here and now because even though I have a good life, I catch myself wishing for the future far too many times without even consciously realizing it!
Well said! "knowing and loving yourself is the begin of a lifelong romance" Oscar Wilde. I am getting truly good at it. The days where I am not good at it are important too as to learn even more. And, Red, its FRIDAY ;-)))))
Live in the moment, Big Hugs! Katherine
Over the years I have "learned" to enjoy and appreciate the sweetness of each and every day.
What a beautiful post and a great list of things to do to be happy.
I especially like #5 to slow it way down. One I still haven't mastered. #7 laugh at yourself is a definite must. #11 set goals is another must. #14 celebrating even the smallest of successes is so important and #16 which is probably the most important in order to accomplish almost anything. Not only breathing deeply but sometimes remembering to breathe is a biggie.
Thanks for sharing. You are always an inspiration.
This week my family has been snowed in, so to speak. Our school system has been closed due to snow and icy road conditions (we're in the south so it doesn't take much). As my husband and I are both teachers we have the same schedule as our kids. It has been wonderful just being home with nowhere to go and nothing to do. We have enjoyed some very "sweet" days. Of course, I'm now kind of burned out on snow – at least for a while. 🙂
Happiness is a simple thing, yet hard to find. It's because you don't find happiness, you live it. This is a well written post. I always enjoy your writing… I mean, your riting.
Happiness is a simple thing, yet hard to find. It's because you don't find happiness, you live it. This is a well written post. I always enjoy your writing… I mean, your riting.