This passage introduces three wisdoms that will help you find your happiness: start out small; pretend a little and the rest will follow; Anything worth doing is worth doing badly.
Start out small:
Don’t get lost in profundities at the beginning of your journey. Before you can get all philosophical and can practice meditating away your worries, you have to start with small things. Make sure you’re eating healthy and getting decent amount of sleep on a regular basis. Don’t skip meals either. Have you ever heard of the term ‘hangry’? It means a state of anger caused by hunger, and seriously, it actually happens to people. So pay attention and fix the small things in your lifestyle first. If your body is not nourished, it will bring your blood pressure down and will also make you feel very negative and sluggish. You know that I know that. The problem is that healthy eating seems like such a chore. If you are really finding it so hard, why not buy ready prepared salads? At least you won’t be piling on the weight, but if all you have to do is take it out of the fridge and eat it, you are much more likely to do that.
Pretend a little and the rest will follow:
Sometimes, all it take to be happy is to act happy. Tell yourself everything’s unicorns and raibows, act cheery, and your feelings will soon follow your actions. When you’re feeling down, and you’ll start feeling happier soon with some luck. This strategy can prove to be very effective most of the times. But don’t do it for too long. If you are consistently feeling upset about something and acting happy isn’t helping, don’t go too hard on yourself. Pretending too hard to be happy for too long can result in a state of emotional exhaustion, which can aggravate the problem.
I remember not wanting to do my housework. I played a game that worked quite well and pretended that I was being employed by someone to do the housework for them. I gave myself set hours that freed up the afternoons and said that the job had to be done within those set hours. When you change your mindset and go into the land of make-believe you really can achieve an awful lot more. This was also suggested in an earlier chapter and it’s a great way for unselfish people to get things done. People who are unselfish but also depressed are their own worst enemy. They don’t do the things that they should because they feel too low to tackle them. However, when they put into their minds that they are doing it for someone else, it changes the mindset.
Anything worth doing is worth doing badly:
Whatever it is that you want to do or want to achieve, you must first realize that you have to put your 100% effort into it. When you desire something, desire it badly, and then work towards it like a madman. “Play hard or go home” rings true in this regard. I wanted to feel more energetic. Everyone told me that energy creates energy but when you are at the bottom of the pit, you don’t even feel like you have the energy to get part the lethargy. Give yourself a reason to go for a walk. Give yourself a reason to do a little bit of exercise. Look in the mirror if it helps. I know it helped in my case. I was overweight and that was making me feel even worse about myself. When you have a reason, you have motivation and that takes away the hurdles. You want to do it, and you therefore find the energy to do it that in turn creates energy. Did you know that every time you exercise, you actually create energy? You do and even dancing can do it. All of the negative energy holds you back. Try positive energy and you will find that the picture changes entirely.
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