How to Bulletproof Your Mind
Here’s a question;
When faced with pain and discomfort, setbacks and misfortune or even a bit of melancholy on a rainy day, how do you react?
Seems like a simple enough question, perhaps even meaningless. The obvious answer might be to say that you react as anyone else in those situations would, with anger, sadness, bitterness and the like because these are perfectly natural and even healthy reactions to difficult situations. But what if I were to tell you that the way you react to life’s difficulties is perhaps the most important and reliable indicator of future happiness and success, and that the reason is because you’re aiming at the wrong thing?
Over the years those of us who espouse this line of thinking have gotten quite a bit of backlash. And although it’s not hard to imagine how one might feel threatened by a suggestion that you are the cause of your own unhappiness, it’s the truth whether you like it or not. And this my friends is where the power lies.
Let’s dissect that question shall we?
Pain and discomfort,
Setbacks and misfortune
Melancholy
These are inevitabilities. They are unavoidable experience that are deeply entrenched as a part of the human condition and are thus completely out of our control.
Where as the heart of the question;
How do you react
Is a conscience choice who’s answer will lead you wherever you choose.
The hard part about all this is that even with the best of intentions you can often find yourself wandering down the wrong path, one that leads to even more of the darkness you’re trying to get away from, instead of one that will lead you toward the light.
Here’s the fundamental difference between these two paths;
The Happiness Centric Path
Put simply, is predicated on the idea that the goal of life is to be happy and thus anything that gets in the way of said happiness is a bad thing. Continue down this road for long enough and you will find yourself someone how lacks discipline, resilience and courage, for these qualities are born of those who take matters into their own hands.
The Meaningful Path
Here’s where the moneys made kids! This is where relationships flourish, where goals are achieved and where peace of mind is won. Those who seek meaning and not happiness are grateful for the inevitabilities that arise while aiming at a life that is worthy of the human spirit! Grateful for the rain for it provides nourishment to the soil. Grateful for the setbacks for they provide an opportunity to remain humble and keep learning. Grateful for the pain and discomfort for they provide the conflict in our hearts that is necessary to build strength and resilience.
It’s high time we stopped with this fool hearted notion that we’re meant to be happy. A notion that will lead you toward self pity and away from responsibility. Instead let’s seek a higher meaning, one that put’s us in touch with something greater than us, provides us with a worthy aim, and centres us in gratitude along the way, no matter what happens.
Until next time,
-Coach Kev