07 Sep Happiness is…dealing with setbacks and accepting life’s ups and downs
Who among you has never faced adversity? How many of you reading this have only ever tasted success? Is there anyone out there who does not know the feelings of failure and disappointment, frustration and sadness, grief and loss?
Happiness is very much about enjoying the good times but it's also just as much about getting through the tough times.
Kellie, one of our Happiness Diet devotees, recently expressed her concern about losing focus and getting off track as well as her concern that she might be able to recommence the fantastic tracectory she'd achieved in previous months. In short, she asked for (and hopefully received) reassurance that it was OK to fall over every now and then and a confidence boost to help her bounce back.
And don't we all need that from time to time?
Whether it's dieting or exercising; working or wandering through life searching for meaning and happiness; attempts to build positive relationships or even to build the foundations of mindfulness and calm…happiness is never a smooth road and it's possible to argue that we shouldn't want it to be!
Although it might sound nice to hope for a perfect run in life there's no doubt that some of the ups and downs, wrong turns and mistakes, slip ups and even traumas can, in the long run, prove beneficial. A concept that's become known as "post traumatic growth" posits that following difficulties we can actually grow and mature and become wiser and stronger and even…happier.
So my message today is that it's OK and normal to experience setbacks and to face obstacles in life; accordingly it's normal and OK to experience emotions such as fear and frustration, disappointment and despair; but it's also important to know that all things shall pass and that falling down is not as important as getting up again, and again, and again.
In fact it's possible that the most important happiness skill we can all learn is…how to pick ourselves up again after we've fallen.
What do you think? What helps you most when you're questioning your progress or struggling to achieve your goals? Let us know via our Facebook Page and let's all learn from each other : )