Happiness On Demand

Hello Reader,

It’s been one of those weeks where I’ve had to ditch everything I’m doing and just be still, relax and collect my thoughts.

What the “gurus” and experts out there don’t usually tell you is that everyone has setbacks. Even the ones who’ve seemingly “made it” go through tough times mentally, physically, emotionally, or spiritually.

I don’t want to be one of those guys who always presents a polished facade. I value honesty, and this is my honest opinion.

Sometimes things take unexpected turns. Even if you’ve been working on reinventing your identity, you still react to events around you. It takes a great amount of spiritual mastery to be non-reactive and see the perfection in everything.

I’m certainly not there, nor do I need to be. Neither do you.

Things happen; you react. Sometimes in very unexpected ways.

That’s called life.

But it’s good because reactions reveal something about yourself. They bring to the surface hidden beliefs, thoughts, and habits.

That’s the first step to changing them: Awareness. You can’t clean if you can’t see the dirt.

So today, instead of the usual newsletter, I wanted to write this reminder: no matter where you are on the path we call life, you are a human being.

And with being a human comes the multitude of experiences, those that we label “good” and those that we label “bad”, that the physical life has to offer.

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Reminder: You are human, and this is life

You think you have things figured out.

Then there are days when nothing makes sense.

And that’s okay.

You think you are emotionally mature and can use your emotions and signposts.

Then there are days when you break down and are reduced to an emotional wreck.

And that’s okay.

You think you take care of your body by eating healthy and exercising regularly.

Then there are days when you have zero energy, and your body just says “not gonna happen”.

And that’s okay.

You think you have figured out your purpose, and your life seems to have meaning.

Then there are days when you’re sure you’ve been heading in the wrong direction all along.

And that’s okay.

You think you’ve dealt with anxiety, stress, and depression for good.

Then there are days when they appear out of nowhere and punch you in the gut.

And that’s okay.

It’s called life. There will be ups and downs. There will be joy, there will be grief. There will be success, and there will be failure.

The point of life is to enjoy the journey as much as possible.

The important thing is: Nothing lasts forever. Everything changes.

Every moment is a new opportunity to change yourself and change your life. Even though there are “bad times”, it’s possible to grow into a version of yourself who experiences more of the “good times” and less of the “bad times”.

But it’s impossible to have only one without the other. Such is the nature of life.

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Whatever it is you're dealing with, here are three tools that always help me get through tough times.

1. Express. From the Latin verb exprimere, ex- ("out") and premere ("to press”), meaning quite literally “to press out”. Express how you feel. For me, writing always does the trick. The key is to physically express (press out) your emotional state through some form of creative activity, such as writing, singing, dancing, painting, building, attending to your garden, etc. Find out what works for you.

2. Learn to know yourself. Speaking of finding out what works for you… Try out different things. This goes for everything in your life. Stress management, physical exercise, learning new things, and so on. Try out different things and figure out what works best for you. When you know yourself, you can overcome obstacles far more easily.

3. “Is this working?”. If you’re unsure what works for you or what to do, just do something. Keep at it for a while (1 to 3 weeks) and then ask yourself, “Is this working?” Regarding what you are trying to achieve, is what you are doing working? If not, change what you are doing. If it works, keep at it.

Until next time,

Think happy thoughts!

​- Atte

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Happiness On Demand

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