There is no light at the end of the tunnel?!?! 
Ok ok, I know that might sound a little pessimistic… and that is NOT at all what this article is about… Quite the opposite actually!
Sometimes we put too much focus on how things will be “once x is over,”
When we say things like this:
- “Once I get through x, then things will be better.”
- “Once I have x, then I’ll be happier.”
- “As soon I’m done dealing with x, then I can start enjoying y”
It’s like the Mythical “Pursuit of Happiness…”
Happiness is not something to PURSUE. We don’t need to EARN it or SAVE IT FOR THE END. Happiness and joy and fun are your Right… RIGHT NOW! You can choose it in any moment. In fact, the sooner you do, the easier it will be to get through the tough stuff.
We constantly have tough stuff to deal with.
Sometimes it’s just annoying little things that can make you lose your cool like traffic, a broken handle, lost keys…
…sometimes worse things that might ruin your whole day or your whole week – bills you can’t pay, dealing with rude people, a manager that seems out to get you… and then there’s the really tough stuff that can bring you to your knees – illness, abuse, addiction, divorce; when your world seems to be falling apart.
Look, I’m not trying to depress you – You are not alone, that’s the whole point. I’m encouraging you to find the gift. There is something there.
Things don’t happen TO you, they happen FOR you.
Life is a never-ending roller coaster of ups and downs, big things, little things, happy things, sad things. Embrace it all!
There won’t ever be a point we reach when we can say, well thank goodness ALL my problems are OVER! There will always be stuff.
Don’t think for a second that all those people you see on social media having the time of their lives don’t have their own stuff going on behind the scenes.
Nobody is above it. Everyone is dealing with SOMEthing.
So instead of waiting for the light at the end of the tunnel…
BE the Light IN the Tunnel.
This is your life. Today. This moment. And now this one.
It’s happening right now as you sit here reading this. It’s happening when you’re in traffic. It’s happening when you fight with your spouse. It’s happening when you lose a loved one.
I don’t know why some things happen. But I do know that our lives are precious and everything we experience is part of our journey and what makes us who we are. It becomes part of our story. And you are the author.
So what kind of story are you living? A tragedy? A drama? An adventure? A comedy?
We can’t always control the things that happen but we can control how we respond, what we do next, what we learn from it, how we grow, become stronger, wiser, more loving, more forgiving, more connected.
When you look back on it; most of our pivotal moments in life follow some of the toughest moments in life. Those are the moments you had to muster everything within you to rise up again and take a step forward.
That’s when you had to turn on your light and find your way.
So that’s my message today… No waiting. There will always be tough stuff. Don’t put off happiness. You cannot wait for life not to be hard to decide to enjoy it.
Adding some fun and joy and laughter will help you get through the tough stuff. This doesn’t mean we should never feel down or get mad or ignore our problems. But most things can be handled with a little lighter heart… and most things can have something good come out of it. And the things that can’t… decide how much time to give it and then carry on.
To truly live a happy fulfilled life, it’s our responsibility to find the silver linings, to not let the tough stuff destroy us, to not wait for the light at the end of the tunnel.
It’s our responsibility to BE the light IN the tunnel.
Besides, you never know who else is in the tunnel. 💖
Thanks for the reminder, Megan! Thanks for always being another light in all of our tunnels.
Marcia… awww what a sweet thing to say, I just got a lump in my throat 💖 Miss you. Thanks for the heartfelt comment. – Megan
I love this ♥️Always such an inspiration 😊
Thank you Michelle! 🙏 soo good to see you here… thanks for the comment. -Megan
Very uplifting My heart feels lighter. My love feels stronger
oh my gosh that makes me sooooo happy!! Thanks for the comment Mrs. D… I’m glad this was meaningful for you. xoxo -Megan
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