Let Desires be a Motivator, not a Cause of Unhappiness

Just saw this on Facebook and it was really inspiring:

“2 things define you. Your patience when you have nothing and your attitude when you have everything.”

I’m sure we have all experienced the “when I have this, or when this happens, I’ll be happy” attitude. While this may give you something excited to look forward to in the future, it may also make you feel unhappy because you’re not getting all the things you want.

I think there are two ways to handle it. 1) Feel that you have a crap life because you don’t have these things yet or 2) Let this become a motivator, something that gives you excitement for the present, and joy in the future.

I think it’s possible to feel hopeful and excited about things you want achieved, or even say, you’re looking forward to buying a new plank of wood next month. Having these things in your mind can be great, as long as you are not consumed in wanting it so badly that you are unhappy until it’s here.

Tips on how to handle your Desires:

Don’t allow those desires to take over and make you feel bad about anything. When that starts to happen, you need to say to yourself, “stop – life isn’t so bad, I am where I should be, there are many great things happening” and honestly, you and I may not even realize it at this moment, but we are probably better off than many other people in the world.

Work with what you’ve got. I’m sure that you have some things that you probably wanted badly in the past that you have now. Don’t forget they still exist!

Count all of your blessings. It’s easy to overlook things when we’re not actively thinking about it. I find that whenever you really take time to think each day, you become more grateful.

Work towards your goals each day. If you really want something to happen, working towards it helps you see it in progress.