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You’ve heard it said that if life gives you a lemon, you should make lemonade! And that’s pretty good advice. But most of us have very unrealistic expectations of what life should bring us, and because of that, we often feel disappointed and depressed about life.
Happiness is not guaranteed to us by our Constitution. It is not our birthright to be happy. The Constitution says we have the right to pursue happiness, but that’s a problem as well. It seems the harder you pursue it, the more difficult it is to find.
Is happiness what you expect from life? I would advise you to adjust your expectations. I don’t mean that you can never be happy, but I do mean that life is full of many unhappy things and none of us can expect continual happiness. It’s not possible because this world is full of sin and the effects of sin, which bring much unhappiness to many people.
Many people are continually unhappy with their jobs because they expect to have a job which is always challenging and exciting. As one who has spent many years in the workplace, let me tell you that you’ll have moments when the job is exciting and fulfilling, but they are just that: moments. Catch them and enjoy them, but don’t expect your job to make you happy.
I want to encourage you to stop expecting life to deliver happiness to you. Happiness is a by-product that comes from forgetting yourself and focusing on others. I would also encourage you to enjoy the little happy things that come your way. Many times we’re looking for big doses of happiness, and miss all the other small things that we can enjoy.
Smell those flowers along the way. Relish the beautiful weather that comes your way, the cute thing your child just did, the success your friend has had, the beauty of a landscape. Enjoy the small things. You’ll find that life is not nearly so disappointing when you expect less from it and enjoy what it delivers.