A Key to Joy

… Only to compare yourself to who you were yesterday or last week or a year or decade ago … to notice how much better you are doing at remaining balanced, centered and at peace despite circumstance. Or perhaps your positive changes have been in attitude or health or your relationships.

Being human, many find it nearly impossible to not compare themselves to others.

So … if you must compare yourself to others, compare yourself with those less fortunate.

So often people make themselves miserable by comparing and noticing what they don’t have. They allow themselves to be unhappy and sorrowful because the superstars in business and entertainment have what appears to be a “better” car, spouse, lifestyle, and life. They think because they don’t have all those things that they are somehow a failure and less than.

Regardless of your financial situation, it is always possible to find someone with more money or “cool stuff” than you have.

The big question is …

Are they any better or happier than you are?

The answer is, “Not necessarily.”

I know people who are couch surfing on friend’s couches because they have lost their home. I also have friends who own million dollar yachts and homes. Some of the wealthier people often complain about not having enough money for something.

Money can not buy love or happiness. In fact, the more money you have, the more details and things you have to worry about. The more money you have, the more you have to wonder if people like you for you, or for your money?

Don’t get me wrong, I think money is a grand thing. It can buy you experiences that you simply can’t enjoy if you don’t have any. But money alone can not ensure your happiness.

If you find yourself in the middle of a self-induced pity party, think about those less fortunate than yourself. Regardless of how bad things are, there is always someone somewhere having a harder time than you are. If you have a roof over your head, a vehicle, a hot meal, then you are very fortunate indeed. So many people around the globe have none of those things.

I read somewhere that “Having a roof over your head and a car puts you ahead of roughly 75% of the world’s population.”

So you can’t afford the trip that you’ve been dreaming about? Or perhaps your car isn’t brand new. Or maybe your health isn’t what it once was.

So what?

Do you let that ruin the happiness you could be having right now?

Gratitude Leads to Joy

When you are grateful for what you have, instead of spending all your time being envious of what you don’t have, you will be showered with more things to be thankful for. Because what you focus on tends to multiply. And joy is wonderful to attain and maintain in your life.

I actually LOVE my old Honda. She is over 10 years old with over 130 thousand miles on her. And she’s still going strong. I always take my Hondas to somewhere between 250k and 300k miles.

Why?

… because I can. Because they will last that long if you take care of them. I think it’s probably been 40 years since I bought a brand new car. And, a brand new car begins to lose value the second you drive it off the parking lot. That doesn’t make sense to me.

When you complain about all the things you don’t have, you will continue to find even more things to complain about. It’s what I call getting caught in the Negative Thinking Spin.

It’s just a matter of focus.