4 things I live my life by...
Regardless, while I was looking at these things, I recalled the four things (or sayings, if you will) I try to live my life by. I think they work for me, and I also think that if everyone embraced them, their life may be better -- or maybe not, I don't know...but I know these four things help keep me sane. So, I'll share them with you. Here they are:
No. 1: Happiness is a conscious choice, not an automatic response.
I find this to be the first and foremost thing in my life that I try to live by. I think this is so true and so usable, that it's hard not to try your best to use and live it. For instance, my friend had lost his girlfriend about a year before. One day, he saw the police officer on campus that had come to break the news to him about his girlfriends death. He let that encounter with the police officer to completely ruin his day. Yes, I know this is a traumatic experience and yes, I know losing a loved one is extremely hard. But, as I told him, there comes a time in your life when you'll see these things and you'll have to choose how you let them effect you. You can either say, "This cop told me ____ died and it hurt me and I'm going to let it drag me down today," or you can say, "This cop told me ____ died, it hurt me, but instead of letting it get me down, I'm going to cherish the fact that I got time to know her and love her and learn from her." Now, I know it's easier said than done. If I were in that situation, there's no telling what I would do. But I do know that I've used this saying to help me in my life.
The most recent instance was when my biological father seemed outright determined to ruin my birthday. There was a series of three or so events that I could have let ruin my day. But, instead, I said, "Today's my birthday, and I'm not dealing with this today. I'm choosing to make this day a happy day and nothing he says is going to make me unhappy." And it worked.
Life motto No. 2: You can only get out of life what you put into it.
This one is simple. If you work hard, you'll be successful. If you slack off, chances are you won't get far. If you don't put work into a relationship, chances are it won't last. Simple. Easy. Livable.
Motto No. 3: Never regret anything.
This one is a little more complicated. I decided about 10 years ago that I would never regret anything. The choices I've made and the words that I've said have made me who I am today. And I love who I am. The minute I'm ashamed of who I am or what I've become, I can start regretting. But that will never happen. Because I'm not allowed to regret anything, I make a point to never do anything I'll regret (with the exception of a few drunken nights where I was regretting that extra long island that made me hug the porcelain throne for the rest of the night). It seems simple, but when you actually try it, it's fairly complicated (now that I think about it, this probably has something to do with my fear of failure -- but that's a whole other post).
Life lesson No. 4: Say what you mean and mean what you say.
This one is the one that effects everyone around you, not just yourself. If you don't mean what you say or say what you mean to those people around you -- you look like an inconsiderate, fake, superficial, FLAKE! Simple as that. Don't say you'll be somewhere when you have no intention of showing up. Don't tell someone you love their new haircut when it look like a raccoon whose just been squashed by a semi-truck. Don't use 12 words when 2 will do. It's simple, but hard at the same time. If you just going around telling everyone you don't want to show up, you hate their hair and are short with them, you'll have no friends. That's where tact comes into play. You need to be able to tell someone you aren't able to attend without offending them. You need to be able to tell them you like their hair longer, but if short is what they want, that's great --whatever works for them. And you need to be able to get your thoughts across in an efficient manner without being short or long-winded.
It takes practice, but it's a practice worth using if you can.
These are a few things that have made my life easier. I'm not preaching about them or saying they'll help everyone lead a happy, meaningful life, but I do know that if I had never read or seen these saying and mottos somewhere, my life would have been extremely different, and I think less happy. So I'm just providing and outlet where someone can read these and maybe they will use them and maybe their life will be happier. If anyone reads this, which I'm sure they don't...what things/mottos/sayings do you use in your everyday life that contribute to you're overall happiness?
