Lately I’ve been reading a lot of interesting articles written by like-minded people. People who same as me, would like to spread awareness about certain issues and affect change. I’ve been inspired by these people and this prompted me to start thinking about why I actually started this blog. My initial idea of the blog was to talk about things that are important to me and to let others know more about them. But what ended up happening is that I got swept up in the whole blogging atmosphere and the pursuit of making it a profitable business. You see, there’s nothing wrong with that and yes that is still my goal. But what’s more important is not loosing who I am as a person and what I truly care about. And that, I believe is partially what’s wrong with the world today. So today I’m talking about why you need to change your mindset to live a happier life!

Why You Need To Change Your Mindset To Live A Happier Life!

Do you ever wonder why there’s so much more hatred, violence and sheer misery in the world these days? I think it boils down to one important thing; most people are not living their lives the way they were meant to be. They’re just going through the motions, doing what they’re supposed to be doing and what everyone else expects them to do. But do they stop and think about what it is that they really want out of life? In order to live a happier life you need to really look at your life, change your mindset and pursue your happiness.

Change Your Mindset – The Pursuit of Success Instead of Happiness

Do you find yourself in constant pursuit of keeping up with the Joneses? Don’t feel bad if you do. Many of us find ourselves in this position when it comes to a job, a relationship, or financial goals. Nowadays money and status seem to be the only measure of success. If you don’t have a high paying job, a huge house, the best car, a gorgeous wife and a bunch of kids running around then you must be just a looser. Sounds about right? Wrong! Just because you have all of these things doesn’t automatically make you a happy person. Maybe you hate your job or your constantly nagging boss. You couldn’t care less about what car you drive or where you live. Perhaps your wife only married you for your money, oh and your kids despise you because you never spend any time with them.

Does that sound like a perfect life to you? It doesn’t to me. But when you look around it all seems so rosy and perfect when you look at all the pictures. This is especially true when it comes to social media. But pictures can be deceiving. You have no idea what someone else is going through and you’re only seeing what they want you to see. So why is it so important to many of us to want this seemingly perfect life? Because that’s what we’ve been conditioned to believe.

Let Go Of Misconceptions

It’s only when you let go of these misconceptions you can figure out what YOU truly want out of life. You’re the only one who can determine your own happiness. Once you change your mindset everything else will slowly start to fall into place. Psychology Today has a great article that gives you a few ideas on how to combat comparing yourself to others that I think is worth checking out.

Change Your Mindset – Collaboration vs. Competition

It seems like we’re always in some kind of competition with one another. Doesn’t it? You’re often competing with your siblings for the affection of your parents. In school you’re encouraged to do better than your peers. Then when you start working you’re always competing with your co-workers for that coveted promotion. When you start a business you’re always trying to outdo your competition. In sports you’re taught to only be the best because nothing else besides the best matters. Don’t get me wrong; I’m not saying you shouldn’t strive to do your best. You absolutely should push yourself and aspire to achieve as long as it is truly what YOU want. Don’t do it for the wrong reasons.

I believe so much more could be achieved if only people started working together instead of going against each other. So much energy goes into selling a product better than your competition. But is it a better product to begin with? In most cases no, it’s just more popular. Why is it more popular? Shouldn’t that mean that it is the best? No! It’s because there’s a better marketing machine behind it. It’s everywhere for everyone to see and hear about it. DON’T BELIEVE THE HYPE! What would be better for human kind is for the two competitors to join forces and make an even more superior product that actually performed the way it’s supposed to. Unfortunately, the greed and ego is more important than anything else. I recently read an interesting article on Forbes discussing the same subject; which follows a similar idea. So I know I’m on to something here.

Change Your Mindset – Set Yourself Free

As young children we are conditioned to constantly achieve. We end up taking this to heart as adults. Most often we don’t give ourselves enough time to figure out what we really want out of life. In high school we are already being told to pick a career right before you graduate. You’re supposed to know exactly what you want to do for the rest of your life at such a young age. Even then I thought that was a bit crazy. I had no idea what I wanted to do ‘when I grew up’. In fact, at that age I wanted to be an actress, be on Broadway and do musicals. I had Oscar speeches all prepared in my head. I wanted to be a dancer too, a triple thread is what you call it now; actress, singer, dancer.

All that changed when I came to Canada. I barely knew English. I got stuck living in a suburb of Scarborough and not the fancy downtown Toronto I imagined. Things were much different than I imagined. The transition from my life in Eastern Europe was hard. I had no friends, was living in a land far away, all my dreams seem shattered. My life turned out much different than what I thought as a teenager. But that’s okay. You never know where your life path will take you. Once you realize that you can surely change your mindset and feel happier about your choices.

Take Your Time

Many of us find ourselves being rushed to make life decisions. Some of us take a long time to figure out what we’re supposed to do in life. Sometimes you end up pressured by circumstances or your family to do something you’re not really meant to do. Perhaps you come from a long line of lawyers or doctors and that’s exactly what you’re expected to do when you grow up. But is that what you really want? Do you have the luxury of even deciding for yourself? Parents can sometimes pressure their kids to do something just because they couldn’t do it themselves. DON’T BE THAT PARENT. Let your kids pick their own life path. Support them no matter what even if they’re doing something you wouldn’t do. As long as they’re not hurting themselves or anyone else, being smart and following their dreams it’s all good.

In my case, I could’ve pursued acting. That’s true. It definitely would have been harder with English being my second language but not impossible. Many people have done it. Perhaps it didn’t happen because it wasn’t really my calling. Maybe one day I’ll find that out. What I do know for sure is that I was never meant for corporate office job I got stuck doing for many years after graduating college. It took me some time to figure that out. You can read more about my story in my first blog article here. And yes, I definitely wasted time doing so. That’s why I’m here to tell you not to make the same mistakes I’ve made.

Life Is A Roller Coaster, Make Sure You’re Having A Good Ride

Image – Lauren Mancke

Change Your Mindset – What Is Wrong With The World Today?

Here’s what I think is the problem with the world today. People are not doing what they were truly meant to be doing. And they’re miserable because of it. Imagine for a second if more people were doing things they really loved doing. How much happier would they be? How much happier the world would be if that was the case? Seems easy and ridiculous at the same time. Doesn’t it? I know what you’re going to say, but if everyone was doing what they loved who would clean the toilets and pick up the garbage? Surely that can’t be anyone’s dream job! Agreed!

But there still would be some people that enjoy doing a simple job. Where they do what they need to do and there’s no fuss about it. They do it and they go home. They don’t need to climb the corporate ladder or aspire to make the latest and greatest invention or be a celebrity. They’re simply happy picking up garbage. It might not be right for you or me but it’s what’s right for them. There’s no judgment here. Do what you enjoy and let others do it too. We shouldn’t make anyone feel bad about what they do for a ‘living’ or to pay the bills. They might actually be much happier than that CEO who’s making millions.

Pursue Your Passions

If there’s something you’ve always wanted to do but were afraid of either failure or what people would think just do it anyway. Who gives a f#$k! Even if you can’t just drop your current job because the bills are pilling up. Or you have a family to support, take small steps towards it. Take a night school or online course. Learn on your own. Get a mentor. Even if you can’t follow your dream full time you can still do it part-time or as a hobby. If you want to pursue it don’t let anything stop you. And most importantly never give up. Keep your dream alive. Even if you never achieve it.

I believe when you set your mind to do something you will. Or at least it will give you a new outlook on life. It will give you hope, drive and something other people don’t have – happiness and purpose. You have to do it. Your other alternative is to keep living your unfulfilled life, being miserable and making everyone else around you miserable. We’ve all heard that the definition of insanity is “doing the same thing over and over and expecting a different result”. I think that’s so true.

When you’re stuck living the same life yet you expect things to miraculously get better; you’re in for a rude awakening. If more people pursued what they really wanted they wouldn’t have time to fight with their neighbor, cheat on their wife, beat their kids, become an evil and corrupt boss, steal from people, start unnecessary wars and the list goes on and on. Pursue your own happiness and be happy for others. Live and let live!!!

Conclusion

In conclusion I want to reiterate to you that YOU are in control of your own life. Only you can make the right choices for you. Don’t let anyone or your life circumstances dictate where you end up. Life is a journey and it may take a long time for you to get to where you need to be. Make your peace with it and don’t give up. Change your mindset today and start working towards a happier life. That’s my advice to all of you whether you like it or not. Take it or leave it. It’s up to you. I want you to share your thoughts with me about this subject in the comments below. What do you think? It’s okay if you disagree with me. I’m happy to have an open, honest and respectful conversation about it.

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