Wandering Thoughts of a Writer: #misery

Showing posts with label #misery. Show all posts

It’s been a miserable hot and humid summer here. Even my sunflower has lost its energy under the weight of the brutal sunrays and thick ass, suffocating air.

We haven’t been able to work on the RV in weeks now. However, we have continued to get things for it (flooring to install, lumber to build shelves, etc.), so when it cools off next month we’ll be able to finish renovating the inside.

In the meantime, while we lounge in our perfect climate control abode, we’re practicing to be here now—in the moment.

Tomorrow doesn’t exist.

What exist is right now.

-But the human brain gets in the way. The pestilent child emerges and wants to be entertained.

It loves drama, so worrisome or stressful thoughts run rampant through the mind.

"What if we can’t get done with everything before winter?"

"There’s a lot of shit to still do."

"It figures. We buy an RV, and this summer has been the hottest and most miserable one since we’ve been here (12+ yrs.). WTF?"

"I’ve been tired a lot lately and I’ve had a headache every day. What if it’s cancer?"

"That guy the other day was such an asshole. If he ever crosses my path again and is a dick to me, like he was to the poor cashier at the grocery store, I’ll tell him to fuck off (a scene plays out of that situation happening)."

See what I mean? The brain thrives off of that shit. It’ll create outlandish scenarios because it wants to be entertained, and most importantly, it’s a protection mechanism that’s hardwired into us.

What helps silence the mind?

-Meditation.

-Focusing on the moment and your surroundings.

-And when the pestilent child bombards you with bogus thoughts, recognize them, and then push them aside.

This takes a lot of practice. It's an art, but the more you do it the easier it’ll be and a lot happier and enlightened you’ll become.

The other day Kevin told me he read this quote that I found amusing:

“I have lived with several Zen master—all of them cats.”—Eckhart Tolle

Wow. I’ve been living with a Zen master for eleven years and didn’t even know it. :)

#art, #beherenow, #brain, #cat, #child, #drama, #enlightment, #entertain, #hot, #human, #humid, #master, #meditation, #misery, #renovation, #RV, #weather, #zen, 0 Comments

If you don’t have a plan, you’re going to be part of someone else’s plan.

Are you happy with your job?

Are you happy living the same routine every day (wash-rinse-repeat)?

Are you happy with the relationships you have in your life?

. . . If you answered yes to all three of these questions, I’m happy for you, and there’s no need for you to read this post.

But I invite you to stay because you might learn something new about yourself.

Are you happy with your job?

If you’re not happy with your job, make a plan to change it. Otherwise you’re giving a big part of your life away being miserable at something you don’t like to do.

No brainer, right?

Go get your dream job.

If you don’t have the skills, then make a plan to get them.

Go back to school, take an online course, volunteer.

Say you’ve always wanted to be a veterinarian. Volunteer at a vet clinic. You’ll get hands on experience to go along with your schooling.

Who knows, maybe the veterinarian there will hire you and end up mentoring you.

Opportunity happens when you step out of your comfort zone.

A lot of people will suck it up and remain at their shitty jobs until they either die or retire. The same applies with their unsatisfactory lives because they allow the fear of stepping out of their comfort zone take hold of them.

. . . Or they’re just too damn lazy to try.

Brutal.

I know.

It’s a lot easier to bitch about our lives than to do something about it, right?

But new opportunities and growth happens when we step out of our comfort zone and put ourselves out there.

It doesn’t happen if we live our lives on wash-rinse-repeat.

Are the relationships you have genuine?

If you stopped being of use to people in your life, will they still want to be part of it?

. . . Here’s another way to put it: If you have nothing to offer except for your friendship, who will still be in your life?

To illustrate it even further, a gal I knew was on the brink of losing her business. One day she broke down in front of me and cried, “What will my friends think if I lose everything?”

“If they’re your true friends it won’t matter to them.They’ll still be your friends,” I said.

She didn’t like my reply.

She ignored me.

You know why?

Because she cared more about being part of the herd—even though it wasn’t genuine—than having a few true friends.

. . . So, think about it.

If her so called friends bailed on her after she lost everything—because she was no longer of use to them—this gal would either be crushed or would finally realize her relationship with them was artificial.

She’d be much happier if she didn’t care what others thought and got rid of the plastic people in her life.

How to own your life.

It’s YOUR life.

When you take your last breath on this earth, YOU are the one who will be looking back on your life.

Not your relatives.

Not your friends.

Not your employer.

YOU.

You're the one who is responsible on how you live it.

Not them.

It's up to you to either piss it away or live a happy one for you.

. . . Ask yourself these questions and then answer them honestly:

-Do you enjoy the job you have?

-Are there toxic people in your life?

-Do you seek people’s approval?

-Do you cater to people's needs more than you should?

-Do you take some time out for you?

-Do you make up excuses on why you can't do something?

-Are you doing something that you're passionate about that brings you great joy?

-Do you ever step out of your comfort zone?

Your answers will tell you the areas you need to work on so you can take those steps toward owning your life.

Wrapping it up.

Do what makes you happy, but it'll probably involve stepping out of your comfort zone.

But that's okay.

Learning and growing is a huge part of our life experience.

If you don’t have a plan you’ll be part of someone else’s plan.

If you want to support someone else’s dream by working for them and being miserable because you don’t have the drive to change your life, so be it.

But, if you want to OWN your life, you need to grab it by the balls and change your job situation.

There are people in your life because you’re USEFUL to them.

Stop being a doormat.

Once you firmly say no to them and stick to your guns, they’ll find another sap to take advantage of.

This also goes for the toxic and artificial people as well.

Do you really want disingenuous people in your life?

Drama?

Get rid of them.

You're going to be much happier, and your loved ones will probably be inspired by your newfound energy and tenacity to view each day as another opportunity to set and reach your goals . . . to own your life instead of investing it on poor returns.