I have a powerful new addiction. Not the usual run of the mill addiction to food, alcohol, drugs or…name your own poison.
My addiction is to feeling great. I love it, I want more of it, I can’t and won’t live without it. As soon as I wake up in the morning I’m looking for it…and don’t stop till I find it and I’m willing to search under the bed, in my drawers, even though I can’t find anything in there at the best of times. Sound pretty much like an addiction to you? I do believe the correct answer is ‘yes Elle.’ And yes, I would search online if I thought it might help.
A fellow countryman and statesman of yore said:
[success] This is an age in which the mood decides the fortunes of people rather than the fortunes decide the mood. ~ Winston Churchill[/success]So true. My good friend Jennie heard from her boss the other day that she was doing such a great job that he was giving her a new role, she was to be a supervisor and get a substantial increase in salary. Woa…she was thrilled. She felt wonderful for the rest of the day.
Later, she met some friends for a drink to celebrate and someone asked if she’d been sick, since she looked pretty awful. Boo hoo. That left her not feeling so great.
What’s up with that? She’s at the mercy of every situation and every remark thrown her way, in fact Jennie has no control over her moods at all. They come and go at the whim of all that happens in her life and we all know how that’ll work out. She’s allowing her fortunes to determine her mood. Hmm the opposite of what dear old Winnie was advocating.
Our moods are our daylight dreams, since every ounce of progress we make towards our heart’s desires is through the use of our imagination and feeling. What we ‘feel’ we are, dominates what we might like to be. And if allowed to, our feelings are able to dominate what everyone else tells us.
If we want to be successful, in anything, we have to envelop ourselves in the feeling of success. Doesn’t much matter if it’s success in business, at school, in love, in life in general. Choose the overall mood that resonates with whatever it is you want. Slip it on, like a comfortable pair of shoes and don’t take it off, no matter what. Never mind what anyone else thinks or says or believes. Stick with it kiddos.
Grab hold of the feeling that would be your’s if your life was great. What does it feel like to you. Would you wake up in the morning and not want to get out of bed, because it’s all such a blooming struggle. Not on your nellie. Would you be impacted by what other’s said to you, or of you. Heck no.
Our fate isn’t predestined, well it sort of is…but only by us. It isn’t chance or accident that’s responsible for what happens in our world. We are the author of our fortune or even our misfortune and we do it all through the medium of our feelings, or our moods.
If we focus on regret, if we focus on failure, if we focus on what might have been, we are resigning ourselves to the cosmic rubbish dump of left overs. All the stuff no-one else wants. Although truth be told My Darling One is a fan of leftovers…especially cold pizza.
I’ve learned that if I pay attention to my moods I can pretty much predict the sort of day I’m going to have, and the people that I’ll meet. Which is why I’ve become addicted to feeling good. Why I want to start my day in the best mood I possibly can. I’m just not that into left overs.
Encourage one another.
Love Elle.
xoxo
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Dear Elle, the strangest thing happened to me the other day. I woke up feeling anything but happy, there were still no news about the job and it seemed pretty hopeless from where I was standing that morning, so I went for a walk just to clear my head and to change the mood I was in. So I decided to walk by the river, just be quiet for a few hours and relax. On the way I started asking myself very simple questions – what am I passing by, what is above me, what is below me, oh, it’s sunny, my legs are getting a nice tan, the wind is caressing my arms, there’s a lizard, there’s a dog, leaves, beautiful brick wall… this somehow helped me fell more present in that day, that turned out to be pretty great. By the end of “The walk, part I” I was feeling so relaxed and the world loved me again and I loved the world, and then suddenly this guy came up to me – a british stand-up comedian!!! – and he started talking to me, he said he had noticed the way I was walking, like I was thinking “oh, life is so beautiful, the sun is shining, the birds are singing”. We ended up walking together by the river and talking and laughing all the way, and my day changed completely! I was literally crying that morning, and when I came home I was just smiling. And when I remember that walk it just warms my heart.
An other great story Ana. Your change of perspective allowed you to change your feeling. How great is it that your day became one big smile. Lovely. Thank you for sharing. 🙂
It’s funny that, when someone asks how I’m doing, I answer, “I’m awesome!” They usually respond by asking, “Why? What happened?” Like we’re not supposed to feel awesome for no reason. My response is, “No reason. I just want to. And you’re awesome too!”
I believe my life is a success. There’s a lot more that I’m working on to make it even better but it’s pretty awesome just the way it is.
Thanks for another great post Elle!
Awesome Paige. 🙂 My husband has a similar response to the question how are you – he always says wonderful. It’s contagious because before you know where you are everyone begins to respond in a similar vein. What great positivity Paige, your life is a success and awesome just the way it is. You are such a bright light. Thanks for joining the conversation and sharing your outlook. 🙂
Hi Elle,
I love this post – so upbeat! Your “positive addiction” is going to serve you well and keep you in a state of happiness and joy. I try and stay happy as well, by dealing with the unpleasant stuff as it comes up and getting back to that joyful place as soon as possible. Thanks for sharing!
I like that Cathy, deal with the ‘stuff’ as it comes up and moving right back to your happy place. Great tip. It’s all about being present and at choice really. And I love your choices. 🙂
Great is a great place to be Elle
be good to yourself
David
Simply brilliant, Elle! I’m addicted, too:)
For 20 years, whenever I would ask my colleague how he was doing, his answer was always the same–perfect! I didn’t get that for a long time, but now I do. If this is an addiction, no interventions please!
I like that Galen ~ no interventions for me either please. 🙂
Elle: You know, I can pretty much predict the type of day that I am going to have as well. I have methods that help me get in a better mood if I feel that I am not in a good one. I have a lot of addictions, but I am sure that happiness is one of them.
Best Wishes,
William Veasley
It would be interesting to know some of your methods that help you change your mood William. Meanwhile, I’m glad you’re addicted to happiness…it feels so darn good!