Accept & Expect

There are so many things that can steal your peace and joy. Life has its ups and downs and that will never change. We go through periods of sadness and periods of happiness, yet we never realize that we can maintain a level of constant joy. Constant joy isn’t an exhilarated excited feeling; it’s a peaceful calm within your heart no matter what circumstances you are going through. It takes practice and faith. Some of us let the downward spiral of the world get to us. I know I do many of times. By practicing meditation and going deep inside my faith as well as my spirituality, I can maintain a level of constant joy that only comes from one source only: God. Instead of seeking the adrenaline rush for my happiness in life, I seek to maintain a constant flow more reliable than any awaited excited feeling. I was addicted to the adrenaline rush all my life. It was time for a change.

I accept my lot in life. I’m more than happy with what I have, the family and friends I am blessed with as well as my work. This doesn’t mean I am settling though. I accept and expect much more in life. I am enjoying the “now”, as I’ve stated in my previous post, yet enjoying what has yet to come. There is a quote which I love by an unknown author: “Happiness is not having what you want. It’s wanting what you have.” I go through periods of my life where I’m like, “I shoulda’ been here this time in my life”, or “I should have accomplished and gained this much by now” --but all of that negative talk will leave me stuck in a stagnant world of envy of what other people have. I refuse to go that route.

This also goes for bitterness. I refuse to be stuck in the past, resentful and blaming people for what went wrong in my life. I take full accountability, yet I also don’t torture myself with ‘it’s all my fault’ type of mindset either. Forgiving others is just as important as forgiving yourself. It works both ways if you want to have some sort of peace in your life. We’re all human and we make mistakes. Let it go. Move forward and forgive, forget and pardon your own mistakes while you’re at it. Life’s too short to remain in a state of bitterness, resentment, anger, enviousness and self-deprecation. We can drill on what we don’t have, what we should have and what we cannot forgive or pardon, but by doing that comes depression, anxiety and of course, self-medicating to make it all better...until the next morning at least.

There’s a quote by Joyce Meyer that I absolutely love: “There is nothing you can do about what has already been done---but you can do something about how you respond.”

I still have a lot of practicing ahead of me, but with time, patience and more determination of my constant inner peace and joy, I find that all of these negative feelings, emotions are absolutely useless.  They do nothing but drag me down. And what does the devil want to do? He wants to steal our peace and joy. That’s his main goal. I know some of you do not believe in the devil or hell, so I speak from my own faith. I refuse to be dragged down by the human flaw: our emotions. I refuse to let the devil steal my peace and joy. I refuse to get high on adrenaline and just dwell inside my own constant joy---no matter what I may be experiencing.

I will accept what comes my way, but I will also expect much more...so should you!