As a child, I was always told that if I work hard I could have a lot of money then I could be happy. It’s a simple proposition to life. If you do your work then you will have the money then you will be happy. What we find as we get older is that we work really hard, make a little money and then keep working for more. When do you get to be happy? When is it enough?
The truth is that we have been doing it backwards. This concept is discussed in Conversations with God and The Law of Attraction. Our reality is that work begets more work. Stress creates more stress. And, the ever elusive happiness is this distant shimmering goal we never quite reach. Even our language is predisposed to Do, Have, Be. We say things like pursuing happiness when happiness is not asking us to chase it. In Conversations with God, God says, “All states of mind reproduce themselves.” Working hard is not a state of mind of happiness but a feeling that you do not have enough. This is not to say that working hard is a bad thing but you always need to be mindful of the feelings fueling the work.
Our society is even scheduled with do, have and be. We are expected to work hard all our lives and have money saved up and then, when retired, we can be happy and relaxed. Being happy is not a realistic expectation for youth and is only reserved for those who are old and have done all they could. We even teach our children that they must behave to have their toys and then they can be happy. It’s insidious.
This is what we propose: Be happy. Do the things that happy people do. Have a wonderfully happy life.
Life is too short to be miserable at a job or waiting for retirement to be happy. It’s when we begin with the happiness that we continue to generate happiness. Therefore, feel good! BE HAPPY, NOW!
Guest post by Lee and Paul Reyes-Fournier. Lee and Paul Reyes-Fournier are the writers of CoupleDumb.com the relationship blog that covers everything from marriage to dating to parenting. They have a book called Dysaffirmations: Because This Kind Of Stupid Takes Work!
. Lee is a professional psychotherapist with over 20 years of experience in marriage, family and addiction therapies. Paul is a professional writer with degrees in AstroPhysics and an MBA. They have been married for 23 happy years and have three kids. Lee and Paul also do a web series and pod cast called Relationship Rehab where they take viewer/listener questions.
As a child, I was always told that if I work hard I could have a lot of money then I could be happy. It’s a simple proposition to life. If you do your work then you will have the money then you will be happy. What we find as we get older is that we work really hard, make a little money and then keep working for more. When do you get to be happy? When is it enough?
The truth is that we have been doing it backwards. This concept is discussed in Conversations with God and The Law of Attraction. Our reality is that work begets more work. Stress creates more stress. And, the ever elusive happiness is this distant shimmering goal we never quite reach. Even our language is predisposed to Do, Have, Be. We say things like pursuing happiness when happiness is not asking us to chase it. In Conversations with God, God says, “All states of mind reproduce themselves.” Working hard is not a state of mind of happiness but a feeling that you do not have enough. This is not to say that working hard is a bad thing but you always need to be mindful of the feelings fueling the work.
Our society is even scheduled with do, have and be. We are expected to work hard all our lives and have money saved up and then, when retired, we can be happy and relaxed. Being happy is not a realistic expectation for youth and is only reserved for those who are old and have done all they could. We even teach our children that they must behave to have their toys and then they can be happy. It’s insidious.
This is what we propose: Be happy. Do the things that happy people do. Have a wonderfully happy life.
Life is too short to be miserable at a job or waiting for retirement to be happy. It’s when we begin with the happiness that we continue to generate happiness. Therefore, feel good! BE HAPPY, NOW!
