It doesn’t take much to change our world and make us happy.

I remember reading a story about the Danes being the happiest people on earth. They are active people, generally married, and healthier than their neighbors. They live their lives in the present tense – today. The Danes’ expectations of the future are incredibly low. If today is better than they thought it would be yesterday, then automatically, they are happy.

That is a difficult way to look at the world. Expect little to nothing – get a little something – and be happy about it. We can balance our reality with our desires and our expectations to be happy in any situation.

Happiness is a result of our expectations. Happiness is the difference between our expectations and our reality. If expectations exceed our reality, then we are happy. If not, then we are unhappy. That is a simplistic formula, but relatively accurate.

The pandemic has forced many of us to remain in lockdown in our own homes. Our expectations for a normal life have been put on hold. What expectations we do have seem to be thwarted every time the quarantine restriction deadline is extended. There is no certain end to remaining under house arrest.

Can we change our expectations? Certainly! It is our mind that we need to change. The outside world remains the same regardless of our thoughts. If we expect to be back to normal on June 1st and another directive comes out extending the quarantine, change your expectations! It is as easy as that.

Of course, you might have to take a few deep breaths and mentally readjust your focus. It is what it is, nothing more. Change what you need to change to expect greatness, happiness, serenity, and more by changing or redirecting your expectations.

Expectations talk to the real person in charge of your life – your subconscious mind. Your subconscious mind’s prime directive in your life is to protect you. It does all it in power to not allow you to become hurt, injured, embarrassed, etc. There is little you can do about it. Your subconscious mind is a powerful ally and you should know how to make it work for you.

Lower your expectation to meet the reality of today. Your subconscious mind only operates in the present tense. It does not know the future or past. However, it has access to everything that ever happened to you. Your subconscious mind stores your life’s experiences in an archived vault in your brain. It has access to all those successes and failures.

A history of failing to lose weight when you go on a diet is a powerful example of how your subconscious mind helps you lose weight again and again, or stops the weight loss process in its tracks time and time again. It supports what helps you and works against you when you have a history of failure.

Desire is related to the present, not the future. Desire is more representative of our reality – what we live in every day. If we have it relatively good, then our desires are satisfied, and our future expectations are lowered. We have enough money to make it through the pandemic. We have the support of Zoom meetings to keep us in touch with friends and family. We have our basic needs met.

If our current reality is lacking, then our desire is to be better and our expectations are increased. Our desires and expectations today are dynamic; they change as our reality changes. If you have been out of work, unable to pay some bills, battling some health issues, or the like, your reality is lacking.

Reality, desires, and expectations need to be balanced. If I expect a lot and it does not happen, my happiness is not achieved. If I desire money to pay my bills or any other of a dozen reasons, that desire is talking to your conscious mind which has no control over anything you achieve in your life. You need to talk to your subconscious mind through your expectations.

Adjust your expectations and your desires based on your reality and what is possible given the constraints on your life. You see people every day with a smile on their face and joy in their voice. Why are you unable to mimic them?

Maybe those emotions are outside your comfort zone? Maybe you need to change your comfort zone? Living in comfort zones make us feel good, but they are masking the full potential you could have.

The secret is to be realistic balancing your reality, your desires, and your expectations. Adjust as needed as often as needed to find that ‘sweet spot’ in your life. Pandemics are temporary. Quarantines are temporary. Your happiness is not temporary.

Live Longer & Enjoy Life! – Red O’Laughlin – https://RedOLaughlin.com

 

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