We have been consciously or unconsciously seeking to feel good – ever since we were kids. As adults, however, we find that it can be something other than a bar of chocolate that can make us feel good: lying on the beach with the wind caressing our body, a promotion, being involved in an exciting project...
The chocolate, promotion, and exciting project are just the means – vehicles to get you the good feelings, like a finger pointing to the moon. However, if we focus too intently on the finger, we may end up taking the finger to be the moon, missing out on the beautiful sights of Heaven altogether.
Here's an anecdote: Two brothers decided to come on This Side. When asked why they wanted so much to visit Earth, both replied that they simply wanted to feel good. They had heard of many wonderful things happening down there.
Upon arriving, the elder brother discovered that money could buy him things, permitting him to feel good. So he decided to amass a fortune, thinking that the more money he had, the more he'd be able to feel good. Now there is nothing wrong in having money, but for him, money became the finger pointing to the moon. He had forgotten about the moon and the beautiful sights of Heaven. His obsession was so intense that he felt anxious, aggressive, and suspicious whenever he felt threatened by the loss of his money.
The beautiful sights of Heaven were replaced by the ugly little finger that made him feel bad – instead of good. He had mistaken the finger to be the moon.
The younger brother discovered the sea, sex, and sun; he felt good lying all day on the beach and making whoopee at night. He took it easy. He simply went fishing whenever he was hungry.
Now, initially these men had the same objective – to feel good – but they did not ride on the same vehicles.
They later compared notes on the Other Side. The one obsessed by money, who had thought that money would bring him all the goodies, failed miserably to attain his objective on Earth. He depended too heavily on one source – money.
His younger brother scored remarkably well; though he had little money, he felt good most of the time while on This Side. He was carefree, had no worries, and appreciated what he had. He really was in paradise!
Now, what can we draw from this?
Of course, we naturally want to feel good. But our desires are often crushed by You want / You can't / What's going to happen? / You're going to lose! – the Gang of 4.
Whenever you feel heavy, anxious, or discouraged, it's a sure sign that this Gang of 4 has beaten you up. To lessen the pain, you need to swallow a DDD pill!
What's that?
DDD stands for Desireless Diet Day.
You simply cut down on desires you can't immediately fulfil, like wanting someone to call you, hoping to be invited to next week's party, hoping your client will sign a contract today, wanting your boss to be nice to you... The list can be long!
Just focus on what you have now. Think about what you can do with what you have, now! If you want to call someone, you can! You want to have a coffee, take a shower, drive your car – you can! This way, you'll never be attacked by the Gang of 4. You'll feel good each time because you're focusing on what you have – not on what you'd like to have.
Does this mean cutting all desires? Not at all! Just transform your desires into strategies. If you desire a more rewarding job, spend time now creating job options. Start your action plan and send out your CVs. You're back to You want / You can DDD mode.
You can feel good all day long by focusing on the things you have and on what you can do with what you have. Just make a list of what you have. Eyes, legs, tongue, Google, friends, job, driver's license... This list can be a mile long!!!
You have legs, take a walk. Some can't. You have eyes, go watch something you like. Whichever vehicles you choose – and you can change vehicles – whether you're rich or poor, as long as you feel good each day, you get to score points.
To feel good depends on our reaction to people around us, on our reactions to situations – whether it rains or shines, whether people are nice or nasty. If we keep an inner smile all day long, we will score 7, 8, or 9 points out of 10, and be on our way to attaining our real objective in life – feeling good today, tomorrow... and forever.
Dan Low, self-improvement & behavioral expert, is author of «Maximize Your Potential with Powerful Tools... And No Stress». His bio is available at SelfGrowth's Self-Improvement Experts Directory under Mental Health, and at www.maximizeyourpotential.info.