Happily Ever NOW

So many of us suffer from the “ever after” syndrome. We always believe that our happiness will come when we lose weight, have more money, meet the perfect person, live in the dream house, find our ideal job and more. The list goes on and on. Why do we put ourselves through this misery? We look around and see that things are not as perfect as we would like, so we become sad, disappointed, anxious or even angry. In my opinion this vicious circle does not make sense and we have a unique opportunity to free ourselves from “ever after” once and for all. The irony is that once you begin to deeply and profoundly appreciate what you do have right here and right now, you naturally begin to make better decisions. If you are overweight, you may say “I have so much work to do. I don’t want to give up my favorite foods. Exercise is hard for someone like me. I’m not meant to be thin.” Or you can choose a different line of thinking which focuses on the art of appreciation. You may say “I have the use of my arms and legs and can still prevent a lot of obesity-related diseases. It’s not too late for me! I am so relieved that my cravings are not permanent—they’ll go away in a few weeks if I begin to make healthy choices now. I used to love dancing and swimming when I was a kid. I can still do that! It would be fun.” There is an art to focusing on “what is” and becoming more honest about what you can do to live happily ever NOW.