Tag: happiness

Happiness, Part Three

Posted on by andrew

Anna Bernsteiner (she/her/hers), Low Entropy Volunteer Writer

 

[Link to first article]Click here[/Link to first article] for part one, and [Link to second article] here[/Link to second article] for part two.

 

These interviews were lightly edited for clarity and readability.

 

Nicole

 

Nicole is 21 and originally from New Zealand. I met her a couple of months back and was surprised to have so many things in common with a stranger. She is an incredible person, very adventurous and open-minded. In her free time, she likes to hike, meet up with friends or travel. She currently works as an au-pair in Seattle.

 

If you could do anything without limitations right now, what would you do?

 

I’d probably travel or see family. I haven’t seen them in quite a long time as I live in Seattle and they are back in New Zealand. 

 

How would you describe happiness in your own words?

 

Happiness is a mix of things. It can be a person, a feeling or something I enjoy eating. Or even an experience. 

 

When or where do you feel happiest? 

 

When I’m with my family or doing an activity that I love. 

 

When you hear or see bad news, how do you cope with that negativity and stay positive?

 

I turn to being around people to keep myself busy and not think about it too much. 

 

Would you say you are happy right now? 

 

Yes and no. No, because I haven’t seen my family in so long and it’s hard cause I can’t go back and see them. 

 

What would you tell someone who is struggling?

 

I know it doesn’t seem like it, but it will get better, you just have to keep pushing. 

 

***

 

Alma

 

Alma is 22 and lives in Gothenburg, Sweden. Her home a little outside the city has a bright red and white colour typical for the area. In her spare time, Alma likes to work out, travel and be on fika (a Swedish coffee break) with family or friends. Alma is an amazing friend, very smart and curious. She works as a customer service representative at the moment, but her dream is to be an interior designer.

 

If you could do anything without limitations right now, what would you do?

 

Travel. Just leave and enjoy each and every moment.

 

What makes you get out of bed in the morning when you are having a hard time? 

 

I try to find something positive each day and focus on that rather than the negative! 

 

What does happiness look like for you?

 

I would say happiness is feeling satisfied with life and having something to look forward to.

 

When do you feel happiest?

 

When I’m with my family and closest friends. When I’m out traveling and when spring and summer starts. It gets really dark during winter in Sweden, and it makes me happy when the sun finally pops back out! 

 

When you hear or read bad news, how do you overcome negative emotions?

 

Trying to accept what has happened. It’s okay to cry and show your emotions. What helps is to talk with family or friends and do what makes me happy. I like to go on walks or exercise to get my mind off of things.

 

Would you say you are truly happy? 

 

No, not 100 percent, but there are moments here and there that make me happy. I’m not yet in a place that makes me really happy and satisfied with my life right now. 

 

If not, what is missing?

 

I’m struggling with being alone and having a hard time knowing what I want for my future regarding work, school, etc. 

 

What would you say to someone who is struggling right now?

 

It’s okay not to be okay, and it will get better. Be around people you love and do things that make you happy.

 

***

 

Elisabeth 

 

Elisabeth is a 75-year-old grandma of 12. She enjoys baking, going on her daily walks, spending time with her grandchildren and knitting socks for the whole family. She has been married for over 50 years and still lives close to where she was born in a small town in the Alps. 

 

If you could do anything in life without being held back, what would you do?

 

[Long pause] Nothing. I’d just be right where I’m at. 

 

If you had to describe happiness in your own words, what does it look or feel like to you? 

 

Being at home with family. I don’t need to be anywhere else. It’s hard to describe it. You just feel like it or you don’t. 

 

What makes you happy? 

 

Family. I’m baking a cake right now, so I’d say that. My home. That I’m healthy is also a huge part of my happiness. 

 

What are thoughts, people and things that get you out of bed in the morning when you are going through a difficult time?

 

I have things to do, and that’s what I am getting up to do. Also cooking for my husband, he doesn’t really know how to turn on the stove [giggles].

 

When you hear or see bad news, how do you cope with that negativity? 

 

I get out of the house and I walk for an hour. Just walk, it’s also okay to cry if you are having a rough day. I sometimes do that. But walking is always a good idea. 

 

Would you say you are happy right now? 

 

Yes! I’m happy. I’m not sick. What else would you want?

 

What would you say to someone who is having a rough time? 

 

Go out and take a long, long walk. I walk every day. Keeps me healthy. Think about what you can control and change, and do that instead of worrying about the things you have no control over. And go have some coffee and cake. 

 

—

 

Hi, I’m Anna, I’m a student and I write blogs for Low Entropy. In my free time I like to explore new countries and cultures, try new foods, languages and meet new people, and I try to write interesting articles 🙂

Happiness, Part Two

Posted on by andrew

Anna Bernsteiner (she/her/hers), Low Entropy Volunteer Writer

 

Click here for part one.

 

These interviews were lightly edited for clarity and readability.

 

Thomas

 

Thomas works as a warehouse manager for car parts. He is 61 and about to retire, which he is looking forward to. He wants to finally learn Italian and be able to hike every day. Thomas used to run marathons all around the world, but settled in the small Austrian town of Zell am See, where he lives with his family. His dream was to become a photographer, but he wasn’t allowed to pursue this dream when he was younger. He recently bought a professional camera and is now capturing every moment with it. 

 

If you could do anything without limitations right now, what would you do?

 

Of course, I would travel more. There are countries I haven’t been to, like Norway and Sweden. I would love to travel to South America and North America again as well. 

 

What makes you get out of bed in the morning when you are having a hard time?

 

I like to think that it can just get better from here on. 

 

What does happiness look like to you?

 

When I’m with my family, mostly. That my wife and daughter are healthy and happy. And my home. 

 

When do you feel happiest?

 

Mostly when I’m at home, but there are other forms of happiness. For example, when I’m on top of a mountain looking down in nice weather, after I just made the tough incline. 

 

When you hear or read bad news, how do you overcome negative emotions?

 

There isn’t anything else but to think things will work out. I think of the crisis in Ukraine. I believe that there are good people out there. I’m hopeful and that helps me. 

 

Would you say you are truly happy? 

 

I am happy. I have my family and I’m proud of that. I live in a safe country. That’s happiness.

 

What would you say to someone who is struggling right now?

 

Look, at the world. How many people are suffering out there and have worries beyond measure? Look on the bright side and see how lucky you are. 

 

***

 

Wolfgang

 

Wolfgang is a 45-year-old teacher at a school for children with disabilities in a small town in the Austrian Alps. He loves to play Scrabble with friends, travel through Europe and enjoy warm weather. He loves being a teacher and pours his whole heart into his job. He enjoys hiking, architecture, history and art. 

 

If you could do anything without limitations right now, what would you do?

 

Go on vacation. On a stranded island. Well, an island with very few people. It should be warm. The Canary Islands. Never winter. I like when the sun shines, I don’t have to think about what I am gonna wear, just feel the warmth. And I want to save the world, but that doesn’t seem to be possible. 

 

When you hear or see bad news, how do you cope with that negativity? 

 

It makes me sad and nervous. I can’t shut it out entirely. There isn’t a cure to having an emotional response to bad news. I like to look at the backstory. What happened, exactly? I wanna be sure of what’s really true. It helps to understand and cope with it.

 

If you had to describe happiness in your own words, what does it look or feel like to you? 

 

Warmth, feeling weightless. Like being on a plane when it leaves the ground. Peace. A smile. A smile is definitely part of being happy. But happiness can be a place as well.

 

For me, it would be Gran Canaria or Croatia. Being in those places makes me happy! I’m kind of happy at home, but the real happiness is somewhere else. There is social pressure in small communities, way more than in big cities where nobody really knows you. If I had the money I would move to Vienna. So yes, the location is important.

 

Would you say you are happy right now? 

 

Yes. I don’t have too many thoughts troubling me right now. I don’t have to work tomorrow, but my happiness is not at a 10, it’s maybe a seven. You need to leave space for the number 10. There can always be more happiness. But if I were somewhere warm, it would probably be nine.

 

Is there something that triggers your sadness? 

 

I think health is a big part of happiness. Health, in my opinion, is 80 percent of happiness. Work as well. I’m a teacher at a school for disabled kids, and some factors can change your entire day. Teachers, parents or even the kids themselves. You can’t predict how people act. If I get a new floor, there is nothing that I can’t predict, but people are nothing like that. So there are factors outside of my control.

 

What would you tell someone who is having a hard time and struggling with feeling happy?

 

My advice is to get help from someone and think about warmer and happier days. It’s also helpful to set goals for the future that you want to accomplish. 

 

***

 

Julia and Leonie

 

Julia is in Wolfgang’s class and loves to make people laugh. She is 12 years old and currently looking forward to an Austrian holiday called Fasching because she can dress up as anything she wants and eat lots of pastries.

 

What makes you happy? 

 

Being around my grandpa. Ice cream and getting to swim in our pool at school. And I have to laugh when someone tells a joke or when I watch a fun movie.

 

Leonie is very kind, loving and curious. She loves to go to school and see all her friends and teachers. She is 11 years old and also one of Wolfgang’s students. 

 

What makes you really happy? 

 

Chocolate. Being at school with my friends and my teacher. I feel super warm when I can ice skate and sleep. I loveeee sleeping and playing games on my phone. I have to laugh super hard when someone tickles me, I think that’s so funny. 

 

—

 

Hi, I’m Anna, I’m a student and I write blogs for Low Entropy. In my free time I like to explore new countries and cultures, try new foods, languages and meet new people, and I try to write interesting articles 🙂

Happiness, Part One

Posted on by andrew

Anna Bernsteiner (she/her/hers), Low Entropy Volunteer Writer

 

This interview was lightly edited for clarity and readability.

 

Money, fame and success seem to be the driving factors in our world. The older I get, the clearer it seems to be. 

A couple of days ago, while on the bus, I spotted a kid frantically pointing at something in the distance. Full of excitement, he had spotted a rainbow. Eyes wide open, he was tugging his mom’s shirt to show her and smiling like it was the most amazing thing he had ever seen. 

It made me feel incredibly joyful. 

Happiness. It is a topic that comes up sooner or later in your life and, unfortunately, is usually more of a question than it is a fact. 

How can I get there? How can I turn my life into something that I love and makes me happy?

Am I happy? Are you?

I wanna know. 

And so I started asking.

 

Vanessa lives in Vancouver with her husband and kids. She is an incredibly kind, open-minded and inspiring person who helps people all over the world with the Low Entropy Foundation that she founded back in 2015.

 

If you could do anything in life without being held back, what would you do? 

 

I kind of feel like I’m doing what I want to do. If there were no rules and limitations, I mean yeah I would go to materialistic things, like buy a piece of land and build a nice big home, a community center for people to connect, and I would probably do a lot more traveling and be able to employ a lot of people. Just this morning I was thinking, It’s difficult to really get a lot of traction if we don’t have permanent full-time people in place. So I’d hire tons of people. I’d just keep doing good work and spreading the message and getting out programs and services to as many people as possible. 

 

If you had to describe happiness in your own words, what does it look or feel like to you? 

 

Freedom, liberation, being completely open and not dragged down by insecurities, and the absence of fear. To be uninhibited. I think it comes back to the relationship with yourself and being really kind and compassionate, as well as gentle with myself. 

 

The relationship with yourself colors your whole world. How you see yourself and how you treat yourself is inevitably how you are going to perceive your reality and others. So many of us don’t like how we are or aspects of who we are, so it’s about learning to accept who we are.

 

What gets you out of bed in the morning when you are having a hard time? 

 

Commitment. When I have already made a commitment, to mostly other people, to be honest. If I commit to myself, I’m the first one to sell myself out. Other people get me out of bed. Consistently getting up at the same time and building up a routine helps.  

 

When you hear or see bad news, how do you cope with that negativity?

 

I try to see the big picture. For me, it means that we are all connected. There is so much more to reality than what meets the eye. Ultimately, the big picture for me is that this universe is a playground, it’s a school where you come to learn and grow and share what you learn with others. So when I see crime or someone hurting people, I understand they are still learning and are still in preschool. If we are further along, we can come and help them. We don’t have to condemn them for not having learned at the same speed as we have. We can help them, just like our mentors help us. So the big picture helps me to have more compassion and empathy and understanding. 

 

When do you feel happiest? 

 

When I’m with my kids, with my husband. I feel unconditional love, and that makes me happiest. It’s not too much about a place, it’s about the people I’m with. Doesn’t matter where I am. I mean the place I grew up at, sure I love it there, but if I was there alone I wouldn’t want to be there. 

 

Would you say you are happy right now? 

 

At this present moment, yes I am happy. And it fluctuates. Ask me at two in the afternoon and it might be different. 

 

What’s the missing piece when you don’t feel happy?

 

It’s so hard to name, it’s more like the thoughts I’m generating. How does it shift to negativity? I don’t know. It’s not really that something triggers me, it feels more like low energy. I’m not sure what drives the thoughts. Sometimes I’m with my family and I’m super grumpy, so it’s not them, it’s me internally. I wanna be more aware of my thoughts and feelings. It could be unhealed trauma, maybe that’s energy that’s stuck. Until I overcome it and heal it, it’s there and will trigger me. I can name it when it’s a big trigger, but the small ones are harder.

 

To let go of the past hurts, and it hurts to heal traumas. I have to accept and face those fears, and that’s a process.

 

Genuinely happy people seem to be rare. Unless it’s superficial, but there are those genuine people that you want to be around. It’s just getting there that takes work to cultivate it from within. 

 

What would you tell someone who is struggling?

 

There is beauty in diversity. We wouldn’t know happiness if we couldn’t contrast it with pain. Rather than suppressing feelings of sadness, embrace them and feel them fully. When we allow ourselves to fully feel, we allow ourselves to feel all human emotions, including happiness. Feeling happy starts with acceptance of all emotions. If you find yourself stuck in a dark emotion, ride it out knowing that “this too shall pass.” Everything is temporary, and these feelings won’t last forever. Soon you will be on the other side of this pain. And once you’re on the other side, you’ll have more empathy, compassion and understanding to share with others.

 

—

 

Hi, I’m Anna, I’m a student and I write blogs for Low Entropy. In my free time I like to explore new countries and cultures, try new foods, languages and meet new people, and I try to write interesting articles 🙂

In the Details

Posted on by andrew

Bethany Howell (she/her/hers), Low Entropy Volunteer Writer

 

I can get into mental states that do not allow me any joy, as though my brain has vacuumed out the beauty of the world. I spent a good portion of my life seeking out cures for this feeling. Medications and therapies help the baseline, but I still find myself struggling to truly enjoy the world around me — to feel inspired. I have tried meditation and plenty of self-help books, but it all seems to be to little avail. There are so many solutions labeled “To Help Inspire and Change Your Life!,” yet in my experience, none truly work on anything longer than short-term. Finding inspiration in everyday life is difficult if you don’t know what to look for, and it is clear that many try to capitalize on this fact.

 

A few years back, I tried something new. Instead of roaming around the Health and Wellness section of my local library, praying for a miracle, I decided to reflect on the past — what helped me when I was at my best. As a child, I was easily amazed, simple walks in nature were enough to keep me entertained. My parents would find me paying attention to the little details of life, stunned by the happiness I would find there. I used to discover the magic in life — what we are all searching for — so easily. 

 

I thought for many years that my ability to be inspired by such small things as frogs and clouds shaped like dinosaurs was something that I left in childhood. I thought this ability was, in itself, immature and inaccessible when my age grew past single digits. Yet, having no other options available to me, I decided to try to seek that magic once more.

 

I began carrying a camera with me as I completed my usual daily chores. It was a Nikon, almost a decade out-of-date at the time, that my parents had decided to lend me in my late teens. I kept it with me for months on end, collecting pictures of the pigeons downtown, the smiling faces of my friends between classes and the boats in the harbor atop the glistening, snow-covered ice. I sometimes look back at these photos and marvel at just how quickly I was able to pick up the little magics in life again. 

 

I still bring my camera along for adventures some days when I am especially not doing well — a much newer edition with such luxuries as automatic focusing — but I no longer require it to find inspiration in day-to-day life. This does not mean that all of my problems have been “fixed.” I still have days where I have trouble forcing myself out of bed. However, in times like these, I like to turn to the small things. I can always find something wondrous hiding in the mundane if I truly look. I harvest my happiness riding the bus for a long trip, listening to ballads and staring out the window as though I am in a music video. The delicate shades of the chlorophyll in a leaf never fail to help me stop the buildup of negative thoughts. 

 

I find my inspiration in the things everyone else overlooks. Maybe it is because they are never appreciated that I am able to truly be in awe of them. Who else would spend five minutes of her day admiring the tiny footprints left by a squirrel looking for his hidden winter stash? The trail the squirrel has left shows a pattern that — as I analyze it — appears to embody his thought process, leading from the tree, to the stump, back to the tree. I can tell that he knew exactly where to look this time, as there is a tiny hand-dug and nut-shaped hole beside the stump. It is moments like this that make me appreciate not just the small thing I am inspecting, but also the world around me as a whole. No, my problems are not all fixed by this one squirrel’s trail, but a portion of the weight of life has been lifted.

 

Life does not instantly heal itself when you look for inspiration in the mundane, but I truly believe that finding inspiration, however small, does help the healing process. I am, in no way, completely happy in my mindset, but I am doing better and that is what matters.

 

—

 

My name is Bethany Howell and I am a third-year university student majoring in psychology and minoring in family and child studies. I have a passion for writing and mental health, and my ultimate goal since age 13 has been to make a difference in the world through helping others, which is how I ended up here at Low Entropy!

How It All Began

Posted on by andrew

Fatima Malik (she/her/hers), Low Entropy Volunteer Writer

 

Just a few years ago, a lot was going wrong in my life. It was a very hopeless, dark time where nothing seemed to align with my happiest self. 

 

At the time, my happiness was dependent or conditional on my environment, the people that surrounded me, the things I had or the lack of things I wanted. Once I realized that happiness could not be conditional on the external, but needed to come from within, my life began to change.

 

It’s not easy to go from being anxious and in a pit of depression to being happy and changing everything around in a day or two. Realistically, it could take months or years, and for me, it took months to rewire my brain to find small moments of happiness, regardless of what was happening in my life.

 

More than anything, I wished for contentment. Not extreme joy or extreme ecstasy – I just wanted to be content with my life. But to go from unhappiness to happiness, there needed to be a drastic lifestyle change.

 

I was conditioned to having my happiness dependent on my external reality, and it was tough for me to step out of that conditioning. So I evolved around it. I began looking at things that were working well or gave me even small amounts of joy, and I concentrated on those more than what was going wrong. Even though the things going wrong were much more significant and had a much bigger impact on me, I managed to find small moments throughout my day that I would capitalize on.

 

For example, if I got a moment of 10 minutes outside, where I could hear the birds, the wind and the trees, I would try and take my shoes off and stand on the grass to connect with Earth (it’s funny, but connecting with a planet felt easier than connecting with other humans). I would consciously feel the existence of joy or bliss or just subtle happiness, and then try to continue that feeling throughout my day.

 

Every day, I began writing down what I was grateful for or things I appreciated in my life (including those 10 minutes I had with the birds and trees). This was followed by what I wished for, which always began with “contentment.”

 

These lists of gratitude and wishes began changing my outlook on life. They gave me the ability to find happiness inside me rather than the external. And that was the first step of my transformation.

 

My lifestyle change began when I went through a journey of self-love, self-respect and self-worth. I had to get rid of a lot of toxicity in the form of people, things, habits, jobs and social media, and rearrange my priorities. My drastic lifestyle change is a whole other topic that I’ll address in another post, but how it began was just by finding small moments to be happy and grateful for.

 

Fast forward to a few years later, and I am content with my life overall. I am happy most of the time and in control of my wellbeing. So now I’m on the other side, and there is some depression and anxiety, but there is no pit that I fall into. It’s all very manageable, and being human, I have my emotional ups and downs, but it is never a dark, hopeless place, and I’m closer to my happiest self than I’ve ever been before.

 

There is, of course, no end or destination to this journey of transformation. It is an ongoing, lifelong process where you and your life just keep getting better and better. It is an adventure I look forward to every day.

 

***

Leave your thoughts for Fatima in the comments below – better yet, start up a dialogue with the Low Entropy community in person, at a Conscious Connections meeting or online at our community site. You can also follow us on Facebook, Instagram, TikTok, Twitter and YouTube to stay up-to-date with Low Entropy news!

The One Habit of Highly Successful People

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Spoiler alert: it’s happiness. Low Entropy Volunteer Writer Christina Liao explains why.

 

Different people measure success in different ways. Harry Styles, a Grammy award-winning singer and former member of the band One Direction, says that “if you’re happy doing what you’re doing, then nobody can tell you you’re not successful.” That is, in a way, true. If one is not happy doing what they’re doing, then they cannot say that they’re successful without lying to themselves to some extent. It does not matter if that person is living in a mansion or a run-down cabin; they will feel success and at ease if they’re happy with the way that their life is going.

 

However, happiness is, in itself, a social construct. The stereotypical, fairy tale image of happiness for a girl is marrying a prince and living in a palace happily ever after. That’s what has been pushed onto young women who consume Disney content for decades, from the original Cinderella movie in 1950 to Tangled, released in 2010. Only in 2014’s Frozen was this narrative shifted. In that story, Anna does not find happiness with a prince, but with an ordinary man living an ordinary life after they ended up forming an unlikely friendship.  

 

On the subject of Disney movies, it seems that they’re seemingly changing what their version of a happy ending is. We see this in Frozen, as mentioned above, and the Pixar movies Inside Out and Coco. The narratives of these kinds of movies are shifting because the views of our society as a whole are changing. A happy ending to young people no longer means marrying into royalty and a kiss to seal the day. A happy ending means different things for different people and cultures, whether it’s one’s family accepting them for who they are or understanding the value of friendship and family. 

 

As history progresses, our society and its values tell you what being successful means. Its definition is constantly shifting: maybe it’s owning a farm that profits, working a high-paying job or having a university degree. However, what really defines “success”? A person like Styles would say that doing what makes you happy means that you’re successful. Someone else might say that becoming a CEO of a highly lucrative company makes you successful. It’s seen differently by different people because, like happiness, success is also a social construct. There is no true definition of “success,” only what people across history have coined it to be. 

 

Happiness, like success, is similar in the way that it has no singular meaning. If a person is content with their life, then they’re happy with it. They would not feel the pull to become more successful if they were already satisfied with their life. There’s no “true” meaning of success because as long as a person is happy with the structure of their life, then they are successful in their own eyes. It’s only one’s own eyes that matter, because they are the author and primary audience of their life. 

 

Everyone deserves success. Everyone deserves happiness. Whatever life throws at somebody, sometimes they forget the simplicity of finding things in their life that makes them happy. At the end of the day, Styles was right in saying that a person is successful if they’re happy with what they’re doing. Success, after all, is a social construct that has no true meaning. Only with happiness is someone successful, so do what makes you happy.

 

What are your paths to success? Let us know in the comments below or on any of our social media platforms!

On Fear and Happiness

Posted on by andrew

Low Entropy Volunteer Writer Kat Z starts with questions about leadership, and arrives at a galvanizing answer about self-respect.

 

To rule with fear or respect – it’s a question that distinguishes different types of leaders. Which is truly more effective in the eyes of the amassed crowd? How does a single person grasp the spirit of the people in a way that produces a productive result? Leadership involves maintaining a grip on the reins of the herd, but what, really, is the right way of doing this?

 

Every person responds to people in positions of power differently. Some find a threatening stature to be the most impactful, and are motivated by avoiding the dangers of failure. Others require a kind, supporting figure to succeed. They enjoy life led towards prosperity with a gentle hand.

 

You can notice these various styles of leadership in every political figure. There are democratic candidates: those who must vie for the admiration of the public in order to be elected. Alternatively, there are dictators. Dictators, or any other tyrannical leader, feed off the fear of their people to remain in power.

 

In some ways, using fear as a motivator can be very effective. After all, fear is a primary driver for human adaptation and survival. But there is also a high cost: a greatly decreased quality of life. Consistently using extreme measures to push yourself to your limit is an incredibly taxing and tiring method. To put it in a wider view, very few countries have found lasting success using this method. An autocratic country with content citizens is not far off from an oxymoron. They’re also rarely economically profitable. An afraid and unhappy population does not produce the greatest quality, or quantity, of work. Fear is a method designed to defeat the strongest of us.

 

This doesn’t only ring true in politics. This rule can be applied to any single person’s communication style. And it can be seen in how we respond to different people. 

 

Most importantly, it can be seen in how we treat ourselves.

 

We aren’t just born this way, as some may lead you to believe. We are taught how to handle ourselves by witnessing the influential people in our lives. Whether they be our parents, siblings, grandparents or someone unrelated to us, their actions will be reflected in ours. We, as the next generation, will then go on to influence our children.

 

If we rely on fear, the parasitic pain that results is allowed to propagate. Then how can I possibly escape my own brain?

 

Your neurological system has been taught that fear is the best possible way of achieving success in life. It will never knowingly try to bring itself down, it’s just doing the best it can with the given circumstances.

 

The genetic staircase that brings about these views may seem insurmountable, but that is not the case. The importance of treating yourself gently can be learnt with time and patience. However, in order to rewire your brain, you must first be aware of how negative treatment came about as the default. To effectively move on, we must look back and reflect on the past. Thoroughly processing the details of your upbringing can be an incredibly harrowing experience, but the only way to properly treat an infection is to first release the pus that hides the wound.

 

Humans as a group have an intense need to constantly evolve. We have a drive like no other to be the most improved versions of ourselves. It can be easily forgotten that we still have some of those same primal instincts from when our ancestors lived in comparatively underdeveloped conditions. Our minds and abilities have come incredibly far, yet we still cannot seem to grasp our final existential goal. Many people think that it is tangible success, whether it involves making the most money or having the most things, though this isn’t the case. You can endlessly improve the standard of the objects around you, but a lot of the time, this will only decrease your quality of your life. 

 

In reality, the most highly evolved goal is to be able to do things purely out of enjoyment. There are entire industries that exist because of the happiness these products bring to people, whether it aids their survival or not. This is, admittedly, a problematic concept, as there are vast numbers of people all over the world who still have to worry about their most basic needs. But it does prove that the human race isn’t only a race to the finish line; it also involves appreciating what you have, when you have it.

 

This means allowing yourself to simply live life. To abandon all unnecessary stress and to remember that, in order to demand respect from others, you have to first demand it from yourself.

 

Power produced from your own pain is not power in itself, but abuse. You deserve to be happy, you deserve to believe that you can live a life that isn’t ruled by fear.

 

Each person is the sole leader of themselves, so it can’t be forgotten that the journey to a fulfilling life begins with the proper, respectful treatment of you.

Treat yourself! What makes you happy? Let us know on any of our social media channels, in the comments below or in person at a Conscious Connections meeting!

Take Action

Posted on by andrew

Are you miserable? You should change that. How about today? Low Entropy Volunteer Writer Grace Cheng shows you how.

 

Do you sometimes feel trapped in life and feel everyone is moving ahead except for you?

 

A lot of us feel unhappy or frustrated and think we have no control over our lives. But we do have the power to change our lives by simply putting our thoughts into action. 

 

The hardest part of converting our thoughts into action is taking the first step. Sometimes we do not want to take the first step because we fear failing. We need to be more bold and courageous to step out of our comfort zone and see changes happen in our lives. If we do not take action, nothing will change. We will wonder why we are still facing the same situation 10 or 20 years from now and feel even more miserable. We are responsible for our lives, and no one can walk our lives for us. We are the only ones who can change things for ourselves, so take action today.

 

I have discovered eight ways to turn thoughts into action and transform lives to find fulfillment and happiness.

 

  1. Don’t overthink with negativity

 

I think we have all been there, stuck in a situation, going in circles, paralyzed with fear and frustrations. It is very unproductive and toxic to constantly overthink. We can replace our negative thoughts with positive thoughts that will bring more joy, peace and self-love in our lives. Dream about all of the wonderful things that can happen in your life and keep those thoughts. We can create freedom for ourselves when we are in a happier state of life.

 

  1. Don’t allow past failures to hold you back

 

Just because you might have failed in the past does not mean that you will fail again and things will not work out next time. Don’t let your fear or past failure put you off of doing something that you want to do. Fear can victimize us and stop us from seeking true happiness, keeping us feeling trapped. It is important to remember that there is always an opportunity for a new beginning. Every opportunity can be a wonderful and unique experience, and is only available to you, not somebody else.

 

  1. Don’t wait for a perfect time to do things

 

If we wait for a perfect time to do things and want everything to turn out perfectly, we only create unnecessary stress for ourselves. We end up paralyzing ourselves, holding ourselves back from reaching our goals and dreams. Aiming for perfection is simply not realistic and not practical. It is not a smart move and only hinders us from moving ahead.

 

  1. Your life view can become self-fulfilling prophecy

 

There is a saying that our outlook will determine the way we live, so make sure you have a positive view of life. Your mind is a powerful tool, and shapes whether you see life negatively or positively. Positive self-talk can empower us to achieve our dream lives. This self-talk can also help us to remain calm and positive, which will make our life journey easier to walk.

 

  1. Set realistic life goals and dreams

 

It is important that we don’t make unrealistic life goals and set the bar too high for ourselves. Setting standards too high can lead to a stressful life, with constant disappointments and frustrations. When you want to set achievable, realistic goals, you can simply start with an honest examination of your life work from there toward the directions that you want to take. If it is too difficult to reach a few goals, then start with just one goal at a time so that you can have control and not get discouraged.

 

  1. Don’t be enslaved to social standards

 

Many of us live our lives following societal standards, or expectations from our family and friends. We are suffering inside because we feel trapped living up to their expectations. But you have a choice to stand up for yourself and take full control over your life by doing things that make you happy, rather than blindly following the social norms. There is a chance that you will find friends and family who don’t accept or understand the direction or path of your life, but that is ok. You will eventually find other people who will understand you and form some meaningful friendships and connections. More importantly, you will blaze a happier and more fulfilling life.

 

  1. Learn how to say no to people

 

Sometimes it is hard to say no to others, especially to those who are close to us, like our family members, because we feel obligated to help them. If we say yes to people all the time, we will stress ourselves out and eventually feel burned out. It can be dangerous if we are constantly filling our lives doing work for others and neglecting self-care. The next time someone asks you to do something, pause for a moment before saying yes and analyze whether it is meeting your life’s purpose.

 

  1. Follow your passion and pursue a fulfilling life

 

There is no other person who knows you better than yourself, so it is up to you to make decisions and choices for the direction of your life. Following your passions will give you a great sense of purpose, and your dreams and goals can become a reality.

 

If you are not taking any action to make changes today, chances are you will remain facing the same situation and feeling trapped. You do have the power to take control over your life, by taking actionable steps to regain control and create freedom for your life, and improve your physical, emotional and mental well-being. You can identify which area of your life is holding you back and use the above-recommended advice to overcome your challenges and turn your life around.

What new and exciting directions do you want to take with your life? Let us know in the comments below, or join our community and see what everybody else at Low Entropy is up to as well!