Everyone wants to know what the key is and how to obtain it. But what if I told you that you already had it. What if I told you that searching for it will do you no good, for we are the captains of our own happiness. The keepers of the key to the ultimate goal in life.
We many not be able to foresee every situation we encounter, but what’s important isn’t the situation in specific per se, but rather how we react to every situation life throws our way. How we choose to handle every situation not only says a lot about our own character but also impacts our emotional well being.
I, like most people my age, have had many ups and downs in my life. I’ve lost loved ones, I’ve grieved the death of people whom I love, I’ve had days where I’ve felt like everything I had done went wrong, I’ve grown apart from people I thought would always be there for me, I’ve had my heart ripped to shreds multiple times, I’ve failed miserably in trying to achieve some of my goals, I’ve been that girl crying on the floor at 4am before, and I’ve had those days where I’ve felt like my entire world has come crashing and burning down. Trust me, I’ve absolutely been there. But when people look at me, they don’t see all the pain I’ve been through. They don’t see my misfortunes and my mishaps, but instead, they look at someone aspiring to be the best that they can be. Someone who has vowed to never let their past demons, fears, and hardships consume them.
Once you realize that there is no person or no thing holding your happiness hostage except for you, this is the day that you finally shed your shackles and chains. This is the day that you find your own freedom. No one and no thing can make you happy if you choose not to be happy.
The first thing you have to do is let go of your past. Let go of all of your fears, anxieties, anger, and precarious assumptions about the future. Leave the past in its rightful place, the past. You can’t look forward if you’re constantly looking back. Learn from your past, but don’t hold your future to the same standards. Don’t jeopardize your future and your present happiness because you are too busy comparing your past to your present. I know it can sometimes be hard to not let past life altering situations and decisions haunt you, but ultimately, you are in control. How you handle the emotional repercussions to any situation will either lead you into a deep and dark hole which you’ll have to claw your way out of, or a path of wisdom, growth, and self enlightenment.
Through all of my failures, misfortunes, and mishaps I have learned that there are always two sides to the coin and that every situation has a silver lining. I can wallow in self pity and loath myself for the things that I have brought upon myself and which have happened to me, or I can pick myself up, brush myself off, and learn from all of these things. I can either choose to be miserable because of what life has thrown my way or, I can choose to be happy and thank life for giving me another opportunity to learn and grow. To many, happiness doesn’t seem like a choice. In fact, to many this might even sound absurd. But the perspective we take on the situations which we’ve been forced to encounter is crucial. And how you react is completely up to you. We don’t always choose what happens to us, but we can always choose how we react to what has happened to us.
The day you decide to slay your own demons and learn from your past is the day you choose the path to happiness, the path to freedom. Don’t be held a prisoner of your own mind. Be the captain of your own happiness. The choice is yours.
