Present circumstances do not define the quality of your life; you do.
Please discuss. How does this play out in life?
I’ll start us out. The normal human condition is a mixed bag of circumstances—some good, some meh, some undesired. The events of 2020 have ratcheted up the tension, making most things seem more raw and urgent. We feel stretched; we feel compressed; we feel frustrated; we feel confused. Many of us also have unanticipated free time, giving us plenty of room to brood. In this swirl of emotional reaction, we may forget to seek out and cultivate opportunities to be happy.
When I merely react to life, I limit myself and my options. The only dishes on the menu are those life serves up to me. When I choose to find and pursue things I enjoy and that bring me fulfillment, I select the ingredients and the method of preparation. I can pick what I consume. That’s not to say I won’t need to deal with unwanted or unpleasant issues, but I have the ability to generate my own spin around them and can make conscious choices on how I want to handle them. The power to define the quality of my life experiences rests in my hands.
How about you? How do you choose to pursue happiness?