What if I told you that it’s very easy for you to feel happy or sad? You may be thinking to yourself, “No way. I know that there are certain things missing in my life. I know that there are certain past traumas I just really can’t recover from. I know that regardless of how hard I try, I just can’t do certain things. Who are you to tell me that I can feel happy or sad at will?”
Well, you only need to pay attention to what you’re actually doing. If you feel unhappy, ask yourself, “Do I compare myself to other people?” Let me tell you, this one of the fastest and most efficient ways to become unhappy.
When you compare yourself to other people, you’re normally comparing yourself to people to have something you don’t. You never really compare yourself to people who have absolutely nothing, who you feel are so beneath you, or not really worthy of your respect.
Often times, you just dismiss them. They’re people in your past. They’re people you have passed by on your way up. Instead, you look up. You don’t look down.
So what happens when you do that? Well, you compare the worst things in your life, the things that are missing, the things that are defective, the things that are deficient, to the things that they have.
All you can see is the positive side. All you can see is the big house, the expensive car, the beautiful significant other or partner. You don’t see the other side of the equation.
You don’t see the work, the sacrifice, the pain, that is required to make those happen. Instead, you focus on what you’re missing.
When you do that, you’re basically telling yourself that you are incapable of achieving that. Because you’re not envying because you want to be inspired. Instead, you’re just envying.
You’re yearning for something that somebody has, even though you don’t have the rights to it because you did not put in the work and you definitely did not make the sacrifices. This kills you. Regardless of how positive you may feel, do this and it will kill your mood.
Similarly, it’s very easy to feel happy. How? Well, a lot of people do it in a very, unfortunately, negative way. They just compare themselves to those they know they can step on. These are people with no homes, these are people with broken homes, these are people with serious addiction or physical problems.
Basically, they say to themselves, “Well, it could be worse. I could be like Bob.” And Bob, like everybody agrees, is somebody who nobody wants to be. Do you see how this works?
These are negative mental habits. And just like any habit, you repeat them over and over again. You hate it, it embarrasses you, you know you should be thinking of other things, you know you should have a better attitude, you know that you should live up to your highest values, but you keep coming back to these because they are habits.
Ask a smoker. Do you think the typical smoker is happy that they are coughing half the day? That they have really dark phlegm? That they are running the risk of developing cancer?
Of course, not. But they can’t stop it. They have a habit. They’re addicted. The same applies to your mental habits.
You know it’s bad. You know that you should not compare yourself to Bob because Bob is down on his luck. Bob is addicted. His wife left him. He’s in jail. He has Stage 4 cancer. And so on and so forth.
By the same token, you shouldn’t compare yourself to Mary. Mary has a huge car. Mary lives in a mansion and you live in a shack. But you keep repeating this mental pattern. It seems like you can’t stop yourself.
The Alternative to Addiction
It may seem like your mind is some sort of runaway train. Believe me, I’ve been there. But I have some great news for you. There is this wonderful technique that traces back to thousands of years.
This is not new. This is not some sort of cutting edge, overly hyped, overly exaggerated “new” thing. This is as old as the hills and, guess what? It worked back then, it’s working now, and it will continue to work long into the future.
How? It taps into the timeless part of your mind. It involves no drugs, it doesn’t involve any sort of cult leader or some religious authority, or any of that. Instead, it’s just you, your choices, and your quest for clarity.
It involves you taking action right here, right now, this moment. Click here to break free of your mental chains.
