Life’s Too Short

It’s true…. Life is WAY to short to be unhappy. Our days here truly are limited, so it’s really important that we make the most of it. We really do exhaust ourselves without even realizing it a lot of the time. From work loads that seem to follow us home, children and their busy schedules, laundry (my personal favorite), oh  the list goes on and on!

During my travels to other countries, I have learned that we in the U.S. are really materialistic, hard working people. We work, a lot. We work hard, and we are constantly on the go. We spend hours upon hours working to afford that gorgeous $300,000 home, but never spend any time in that new home because we are always working! Ironic, isn’t it?

I remember hearing this question once and it has really stuck with me. I believe it went something like this… “The day when you are on your death bed, who do you want beside you? Your job, or your family and friends?” For me, this was really powerful. Where do you want to spend a lot of your time? Consumed by your work, or being happy spending time with those you love? Which one of those options will be there for you in your final days?

Now I am not saying work is not important. I love my job, and we need to work to meet our needs. But, to be happy means to find balance.

Where do we find balance? Where can we find some peace and happiness, and learn to do things for ourselves once in a while?

You’ve got to learn to make time to be happy! Do what you love, and love spending time with yourself. It’s so important to spend time by yourself and get to know the person you are. It is so important to love yourself before giving ourselves to everyone else. It is okay to be selfish sometimes!

Have you ever been asked the question what are the things you love most in your life? And how many times on our long list of things we love do we mention ourselves? Probably never! We need to love ourselves in order to be happy. And in order to be happy we need to take breaks from every day monotony to enjoy what we love. Make a list of things you want to make more time for, whether it’s watching a movie once a week or going on a trip. But, remember to put yourself at the top of that list and remember to spend time getting to know who you are.

What are things in your life (besides your charming self, of course!) that you love? What are things you wish you had more time for because they make you happy?

Make time for those things, and make time for yourself. Life is too short not to enjoy it.

‘It is not how much we have, but how much we enjoy, that makes happiness.’

-keep shining