| Rethink your life |
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Without the right attitude, all your success and all your possessions can never lead you to happiness. Here are some thoughts on how to appreciate life’s bounties. Our acts are guided by our mind and our reason – in theory. Nonetheless, don’t we all sometimes feel like we are going aimlessly through life, at the mercy of dizzying currents we don’t understand?As a personal and couples counselor, I try to help my clients find a happier, more rewarding approach to life. However, life coaches are only instruments in the search for meaning that everyone must undergo. That’s why I like to propose a curious task to my clients: “What do you say you reinvent your life?” Everyone’s shared goal in life It is essential to realize that our short, precious life has but one objective: happiness. We are built for it; at our core, whether we like it or not, there is one thirst, a quake, a search for a higher state. We want to be happy, and indeed we are alone as the only beings in the world with the ability to shout, “I am happy!” Our quest is framed beyond sensual pleasure, beyond the fulfillment of our physical needs and our pursuit of material goods; it is the spiritual search for love. Never forget that there is no happiness without love; happiness is the result of generating, nurturing, and recreating love. Prisoner of your own cage King Califa of Cordoba knew how to live in luxury and comfort. His dwellings were made of marble and gold; he bathed in a pool of mother-of-pearl with rose extracts. His palace was a sight; he lived something out a fairy tale. Even so, Califa was not a happy man. In the sunset of his years, he confided in someone that he had suffered from constant boredom. Out of the fifty-three years of his reign, he only remembered fourteen happy days. Don’t let Califa’s fate be your own; instead, organize your life to get the most out of all the delights it has to offer. Reinventing your life in practice • Identify a character flaw in yourself (e.g. ill temper, impatience) and work on it for a month to better your self-control. • Reinvent your trust in yourself; work on a fear that haunts you and keeps you from learning another language, taking up a musical instrument, or even taking dance lessons! • Reinvent your relationship with your partner. Sit down with your significant other and plan activities that you’ve wanted to do for a long time. • Reinvent your self-image. You’re your own canvas! Dare to get a new hairstyle or shop for clothes that you usually don’t wear.
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