My advice… be thankful for a full tank of gas, and don’t go into model homes! Hear me out…
Tis the season for gratitude and that is more in your control than you think. Some of you may think, “But, you don’t know MY situation. You can’t possibly understand my struggles.” My answer? True. However, haven’t you felt yourself crying and feeling pain in a variety of situations? Is that pain somehow extremely, qualitatively different? Sometimes it may feel more acute than others, but it is still pain. Pain is pain. Label it (this is painful,) and then distract yourself with gratitude. Start counting your blessings. When life is really heavy, I sometimes have to think very small to accomplish this idea: I am grateful that I have gas in my car; I am grateful that I have a warm and comfortable bed; I am grateful that chocolate exists and brings me a little piece of “happy.” (I am aware of that sounding like a problem,… giggle! But, it really does make me happier!) There are always the stable larger things that we can be grateful for: I am so thankful for my son and the chance to be his mother; I am thankful that I know Christ loves me; I am grateful that I have people that love me.
There are some situations that are more in our control and that we can avoid. My wise and wonderful mother said something profound one day that has stuck with me through the years. I think of it often when I encounter situations that make me feel discontent with elements of my life. She said that in her everyday life, she loves her home and the way that she has decorated it. But, in Las Vegas there are a lot of model homes for tract developments and some of these tract developments are very ritzy. She used to love to go through different model homes as an activity with friends, but she has decided to stop. When she goes through model homes, she starts to look at her own home differently and think that she needs to change things or remodel. Prior to going through the model homes, she loved her house. After, she felt discontent.
What are the model homes in your life? What brings you discontent if you think about or participate in? Does reading the celebrity gossip magazines make you discontent with your wardrobe or your body shape? Stop! Does thinking about your friend’s perfect life (which there isn’t a perfect life) make you unhappy with your situation? Stop! Does looking at the beautiful things you could buy if you had a larger budget during the holidays take you out of the holiday spirit? Stop! Stop going into these model homes.
That is in your control.
So, again….be thankful for a full tank of gas, and don’t go into model homes. You’ll be amazed at how much happier you are!
BROOK HAMMOND- ATTORNEY
AND
MOTIVATIONAL AUTHOR & SPEAKER
Question: “Why do you want to listen to anything I have to say?” Answer: “I haven’t a clue.” But, I think we likely have something fundamental in common, which is that our lives don’t look and/or feel like we expected them to. Each day I am learning to find joy in the unexpected.
Professionally, I have earned the right to belong to an exclusive attorney group called the “Million Dollar Advocate Forum.” I am a trial attorney and have been practicing personal injury law for ten years (licensed in both Nevada and Utah.) A fun tidbit about me is that I am a part of Nevada’s history as Miss Nevada USA 1995, and a motivational youth speaker since 1991. I am a monthly contributor to PRISTeen Magazine, a teen fashion magazine that focuses on girls’ inner beauty.
Comments
comments
Thanks for sharing this! Many of my clients struggle with comparing themselves to others. This is especially true this time of year. I love the metaphor of model homes. You’re absolutely right, our happiness is our responsibility.
Thanks,
Amita