The Myth of “I’ll be happy when…”

I’ll be happy when I get married, or find the right guy/girl
I’ll be happy when I get a promotion or finish this project
I’ll be happy when I have a baby or another child
I’ll be happy when I get more recognition or rewarded
I’ll be happy when the kids are in school or I have more free time
I’ll be happy when my boss/wife/kid’s are happy
I’ll be happy when I retire
I’ll be happy when I lose weight

How many of these statements are familiar to you? You’ve heard them before, haven’t you? It might not be you that you say them all, but you’ve heard these statements from friends or family members, haven’t you?

These “happy when…” comments are about our external environment.  We want to control and manipulate what’s out there while still hanging on to what we already have. Being “happy when…” is also about the future. A future that never seems to make it to the present. It’s like happiness is stuck on our future timeline, always out of reach.

This is no way to live. So instead of living with the Myth of I’ll Be Happy When, we need to put ourselves back into the present and focus on us not on the external world and circumstances that our often beyond our control.

When we rid ourselves of the The Myth of More and the Myth of I’ll be Happy When, we are giving our mind a new set of directions that keep us in the now, focused on us and grateful for what we have.

As you are already focusing on gratitude each day for 30 days, why don’t you also add one thing to your list that you like about yourself. Show appreciation for your talents, you quirkiness, your strengths, your humor, and all of the things that make you an amazing person. Again, even if you don’t feel so amazing at first, give it a few minutes each day and allow your mind to bring you 1 thing that you can write down.  Are you up for the challenge?

To your improving happiness,

Lindley