Project Happiness Articles — confidence

And so it begins—the willingness to subsume our own will because of the uniquely uncomfortable feeling that comes from saying no. This phenomenon is by no means confined to youth. All of us, at some point or another, have found ourselves coming up with excuses of our own. 

‘Should’ is an interesting concept. Where does it come from? How do we know what we should and shouldn’t do? Well (and I’m just taking a stab here!), most of us learn basic right and wrong from an early age. But the thing is, ‘should’ won’t always lead where I want to go. ‘Should’ won’t bring me happiness.

Our work often puts us down, bringing stress, suffering, and pain into our lives. However, we’re intellectual and spiritual beings. Our mind is not subject to our thoughts while our thoughts are subject to thoughts. Simply put, use your WILL to change the way you think, and you WILL achieve harmony and happiness even if your work is pressing you harshly.

So, the unerring thought that hit me when I turned 50 was, “Why do I look old but feel 27?” I imagine most of us feel much younger but we adhere to society’s rules, pack away our padded shoulders, big hair and Jelly shoes and sit on the sidelines from now on in.

I can’t tell you the amount of times I’ve looked back at decisions I’ve made, often the frightening or difficult ones, and had an incredible amount of gratitude wash over me. Gratefulness for that one person who had the guts to take a leap; my past self.

So, where does our courage come from?  What makes us suddenly feel heroic in challenging territory? And most importantly, how do we apply those feelings to other aspects of our lives?