Several years ago, my mom gave me a plaque that says,
Do what makes you happy.
For years, it’s been hanging facing my bed. Every morning when I wake up, it’s one of the first things that I see, and every night before I go to bed, it is one of the last things that I see.
Who knew that the answer that I needed would be right in front of me, right when I needed it… guess it’s true, Mom’s do know best, lol
This summer, I was struggling in several different areas of my life…things were not working out the way that I imagined they should (should being the operative word that was effing things up, btw…should usually places an expectation on things, which is typically what is creating the problem in the first place) For the life of me, I felt like I couldn’t solve each problem, and the more I tried, it seemed the issues kept persisting.
I happened to be laying in bed one morning, trapped in a circle of thought, and noticed the plaque hanging the wall.
Do what makes you happy.
Do. What. Makes. You. Happy.
There’s a concept. That was something that I hadn’t even considered up until this point. I was so busy trying to “fix” things, that I totally forgot about what would make me happy in any of these scenarios. I was lost and focused on the problems.
Do what makes you happy.
What would make me happy?
This statement and question were the exact keys that I needed to free myself from the trap that I had created inside my head.
After taking the time to work through and get clear on what would make me happy, I was able to take it one step further and ask who else was is in this mind trap of misery with me and how can they be happy in this situation too?
Here’s what I discovered….
When I’d say do what makes you happy, or asked what would make me happy in this situation, I instantly shifted my focus to creating solutions, as opposed to hyper focusing on the problem.
When I began to pay attention to solutions, more solutions appeared. It didn’t feel like such a struggle, and I could then begin to take care of me, in the way that I needed most; which is exactly what I needed in the first place.
And then, when I began to ask and consider, do what makes you happy for others, and I mean that in a wholehearted way…not a bitchy, do whatever makes you happy, dude, kind of way (I may or may not have said or thought this before, okay, I totally have…lol…but seriously, try it…say the same sentence both ways…two very different kinds of energy going on there)
I began to take the focus off my own suffering and begin to see what another person’s experience is within the same parameters. I could really begin to see their perspective, release my expectations and gain a better understanding of them and what their experience is; with my whole heart.
So, if you find yourself struggling with something or someone, shift your focus to what makes you happy. While it may not change the entire scenario, it will certainly change your perspective, instantly change how you are feeling in the moment, and allow you the space needed to take care of what is most important in any given situation…taking care of you!