What To Do Before You Die #5 – Let Yourself Be Happier

From Bronnie Ware’s regrets of the dying:

5. I wish that I had let myself be happier.

This is a surprisingly common one. Many did not realise until the end that happiness is a choice. They had stayed stuck in old patterns and habits. The so-called ‘comfort’ of familiarity overflowed into their emotions, as well as their physical lives. Fear of change had them pretending to others, and to their selves, that they were content. When deep within, they longed to laugh properly and have silliness in their life again. 

When you are on your deathbed, what others think of you is a long way from your mind. How wonderful to be able to let go and smile again, long before you are dying. 

Being part of Positive Vector has really brought home for me how true this is.  I’ve been on a steady positive incline of increased happiness over the past few years, which has been shooting up more and more dramatically over the past couple of years.

There is a lot to happiness.  A lot of it is choice.  Choice about happiness is more complex than I used to think.  Something I’m seeing with my new company is how hard people can try.  I’d had a coaching business before this, and it did not fly.  This time, I’m working with partners, and they work like crazy!  With this energy, I’ve been working really hard too, and things are going extremely well.  I feel engaged and happy, and I have a great appreciation for my partners.  We keep each other’s enthusiasm up.  We share exciting finds, help each other through problems, and keep all of our bases covered.  The personal growth starts at home.  We’re constantly working to help each other grow, be happier and more fulfilled, and to go out and do interesting and exciting things in the world.

All of these points Bronnie makes come together for my happiness.  I’m living a life that is true to myself, I do work that I enjoy, my partners and I are extremely open with each other about our feelings, they are my close friends, and I am letting myself be happy.  It has been an interesting journey to get here, I’ve learned a lot.  I’ve overcome years of depression, and have proven to myself that you really can change, especially with help.

Becoming happier can be a simple mental technique, it can be Internal Family Systems counseling, it can be hard work, it can be smart work, it can be medicine.  Its important to keep trying.  Shed those layers of bad mental programming to make yourself happy.  Improve your diet to make yourself happy (that’s a big one).  Spend your time with people you find fun, inspirational, relaxing, and make you happy in whatever way works best for you.  You can fully feel with all of your senses the pleasure you have in your life.

Bronnie says it best:

Life is a choice. It is YOUR life. Choose consciously, choose wisely, choose honestly. Choose happiness.

 

This post is part of the series: What to Do Before You Die.

- Shannon Friedman

Find your passion.

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