Life is too Serious
Very often, we move through our day focused on the next task, allowing stress, disappointment and fear to motivate us to move forward. We spend a lot of time thinking about what we need to do, have to do and should have done. We make everything hard. We take life too seriously, it becomes a heavy burden. We think we need to push, pull and use a lot of negative energy and effort to get things done. Some common quotes, “no pain, no gain,” “work hard play hard,” “gotta give it 150%.” How many of us built our lives on these thoughts, elbowing our way to success?
Certainly, that’s what I thought, and that was what was expected from me in corporate America. Always on call, working 60 hours a week, rarely quieting my mind and turning off work. I was defined by my work, in my head anyway. I defined myself by that work and work ethic. But at what cost? It was a heavy burden to carry and didn’t really make my life filled with joy, I wasn’t always happy and light. I was bogged down with worry, concern, focused on what needed to get done at the expense of my life, time, health, happiness and family/friends. All that running and all that effort all too serious, and all too heavy.
I have come to realize that all that seriousness created a pattern of carrying burdens and looking for joy and happiness in others. I needed other people or alcohol and/or food to enjoy myself, to lighten my load. I wasn’t light of spirit, happy to be alive and filled with appreciation and gratitude. I was grateful but not filled with gratitude for me. I was appreciative of what my success afforded me but not as appreciative of myself or others. I was always caught in this cycle of doing and not just being. I had to be busy, had to be doing, and often work induced. Vacations were my way to escape all of that. I allowed me to be during vacations, although I also had to check emails and sometimes dial into conference calls. So I was still doing!
Being takes on a lightness I haven’t known since childhood. I don’t feel the heavy burdens of life, I no longer take it all so seriously. Life is a journey of gratitude, appreciation and love for me now. Perfect at it? No! Striving to be lighter and more grateful, yes! Allowing myself to be versus do keeps me present, awake and open to all there is in front of me. Working to surrender more to the universe and have faith that I attract my greatest desires, and those that are for the highest good for all is paramount to being for me. This year, I allow myself to be; be present, be abundance, be love. Let’s all commit to being a little less serious and a little more loving and appreciative.