Happiness Is Your Nature

“Happiness is your nature.  It is not wrong to desire it.  What is wrong is seeking it outside when it is inside.”Ramana Maharishi

Yesterday’s post spoke of escape, implying that when faced with an overwhelming obstacle, we may run from it, try to avoid it, ignore it, medicate it, deny it, etc.

We are always going to be faced with life’s challenges.  And the proverbial mid life crisis is more or less a universal phenomenon for virtually all adults.

We get to a place, don’t like it, and then think we can take a short cut to move past it.  Maybe.  Maybe some can.  I certainly couldn’t.

However, when I started to look inside for the answers instead of outside, my life began to transform.

Consider this, there is infinite joy to be had, to be discovered, to be shared.  I mean, happiness is our nature.

When I dream without any limits, I dream of others having this wonderful mid life celebration, instead of the proverbial midlife crisis.

Midlife Shakespeare

“What’s past is prologue.” – Shakespeare

What’s past is simply what got us to where we are today. I’m thankful for that.

What’s here and now, is what will be past tomorrow. I’m thankful for that too.

What lies in the future is the choice we get to make. Our story is being written one day, one moment at a time.

To be or not to be, I mean, to be thankful or not to be thankful, that is the question.

And starting tomorrow, December’s question is, “Am I joyful and do I spread joy?”

Single Most Important Tip

Things you can do to prepare for a Mid Life Crisis, before it happens.  Click here to read the article from Everyday Health.

However, here’s the single most important tip you will ever get from anyone about preparing for your midlife crisis or, as I like to say, your mid life celebration.

Focus on Life’s Big four:

MIND

BODY

SPIRIT

MONEY

And by focus, I mean proactively, in advance, as best you possibly can. This will keep you ever mindful of that elusive concept called “Balance”.

More on this later, maybe as soon as tomorrow.

Thankful Midlife Parent

Are you a thankful midlife parent, or maybe thankful midlife grandparent? Gauran-dang-tee I am.

Most married couples think parenting is an entitlement.  Cheryl and I can tell you first hand it doesn’t work that way for all couples.

So, being a mid life Dad makes me thankful beyond any mortal effort to describe it.  Seriously.

But I’ll try.  Here goes.  This is simply a typical revelation, in the journey my son and I have each day. It’s something I’ve been sharing and teaching him with unwavering commitment.

“Once you learn to be honest, it is no longer something to fear. Once you don’t tell the truth, it becomes easier to do it again.”

Honesty builds trust.  Trust reinforces honesty.  And honesty becomes a habit. Simple, but not easy.

Boundarylessness Thanks

Read this carefully, Boundary-less-ness.

Pretty cool.  Saw it engraved on a trophy at somebody’s desk a few days ago.

Clever, isn’t it, to engrave it on a bronze plate and put it on a trophy? No boundaries.  No limits. Nice reminder.

However, it doesn’t seem worth the effort to try something without limits, simply because it’s probably, if not entirely, impossible.

Why waste time on something that can’t be done?

But thankfulness, now that’s a completely different story. Anyone can give thanks.  For anything.

There is never a point where we can’t go farther with our thankfulness. Ever.  If you challenge this, I’ll challenge you. You see, every day you wake and try to tell me I’m wrong, is one more thing you can be thankful for – breathe in your nostrils and the ability to make a choice.