'The grass is always greener on the other side of the fence.' This Old English idiom typifies the way we tend to look at other people's lives and the 'things' that we don't have.In our eyes, their 'grass' is better looking, healthier and greener than our own. We are, in fact, only picking out the 'good' in their situation and comparing it to the 'bad' in ours. Our narrow line of vision keeps us from seeing the whole picture.
The funny thing is, once we take the leap to the other side, to that place we thought we'd be happier, we discover that it is not as wonderful as we imagined it would be. And then we start looking over other fences.
This cycle of being preoccupied searching for a better life, a different life, or another life undermines our mental health. Trouble comes when we are taken over by envy, believing that other people have all the good stuff and we have nothing. We become depressed and anxious and allowing our greed to want more and more and more intensifies those feelings.
Our main focus should be to make the most of what we do have. Don't waste your time making yourself miserable fretting over things that you don't have. Be mindful of what is around you and find happiness where you are, with what you are doing, with what you have and who is in your circle.
Take each day as it comes, embrace every opportunity that presents itself to you and stop thinking that the grass is greener on the other side because it never really is.
yup thats so true isn't it?
ReplyDeleteWell thats rather depressing... In other words you are saying don't try to better yourself.. just sit stagnate...? Just be happy where you are? I've not made a habit of settling for less and i have passed that on to my children...
ReplyDeleteI don't think my writing is as clear as I intended. I did say to embrace every opportunity that presents itself to you. Just don't spend so much time looking at other people's opportunities and other people's perceived advantages that you miss them.
DeleteI understood you. You said we should be happy with what we have. Feel free to step though each door as it opens to new opportunities without fear, rather than longing for something we think will make us happy. Many people go through life thinking they would be happy if only they were older, married, had babies, had a better job, we're so fat, etc rather than accepting the blessings they already have and enjoying each new one as it comes along.
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