You Are What You Choose To Become

Posted on Jul 10, 2021 by Nidhi Agrawal (Co-founder, Director & Trainer)

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In my work as a wellness coach and writer, I've had many opportunities to meet with people who are positive and I have also met with people who harbour negativity. The former are full of beans, exude happiness and have made a measurable impact on their communities. On the other hand, the latter always feel sad and anxious. They always feel that the joy has been sucked out of their lives and the whole world is conspiring against them. The people who are positive are driven, focused, devoted and lit up from inside whereas the negative ones feel unhappy, distracted, burdened and their insides are overwhelmed with fretfulness, nervousness and unease.

Wouldn't it be great if the negative people moved over to the other side and became positive? How do you think it would be if their pessimism was replaced by optimism and a new surge of happiness and contentment pushed out the unease and anxiety from within? Let me tell you, people can be transformed and I have experienced umpteen occasions when such people have made a fruitful transition and are today leading happy, productive, meaningful lives.

The first thing to realize is that the happiness that is eluding you is inside of you. If you are seeking it outside you are wasting your time, true happiness must come from within. There is a Tibetan saying "Seeking happiness outside ourselves is like waiting for sunshine in a cave."

The next thing to understand is that no one is perfect and no knowledge is complete. There will always be gaps, limitations and prejudices. If you live with what you have, you will be happy whereas craving for what you don't have will be damaging and destructive. Don't take everything that you do or everything that happens to you very seriously. Mistakes, problems and tribulations aren't the end of the world. Mistakes are so common. Everyone makes them. Learn from them and move on. Just remember the person who never made a mistake, never made anything else.

Start by consciously identifying your negative thoughts and evaluate them and ask yourselves “Can I not overcome these thoughts?” “Can I replace them with positive thoughts?” You will find that most of your thoughts are from the past and held prisoner by you in your thoughts and mind. Release them, let them go. Clearing away the illusions that cloud your ability to see what is real will be your first step to freedom.

The second step is to start exercising your senses. God fashioned us with five basic senses: sight, smell, hearing, taste, and touch. He intricately designed each sense organ to transmit information to our brain. Our five senses help us understand and notice what is happening in our world. Attentively activate all your five senses with positive things. Check out the vibrant colours of a sunrise, smell the flowers, listen to the sounds of the birds, cook and share a favourite meal or embrace a loved one. Peel back on the activities that clutter your mind and create stress and anxiety in your life. Commit to continually bettering yourselves.

Life is a journey, it has no end. There will be potholes on the road, there will also be smoother passages. Don't attach materialistic procurements to happiness. Take nothing for granted. Don't expect anything. Build your emotional resilience -- it enables you to handle adversity and stay in the moment. Take control of your life or else negativity and pessimism will end up controlling it. Remember Life is 10 percent what happens to you, and 90 percent how you react to it. Carl Jung said, "I am not what has happened to me, I am what I have chosen to become."... so choose well.