Too Serious. . .
Do not take life too seriously. You will never get out of it alive. – Elbert Hubbard said that. It’s profound and so true.
Many people agonise over even the smallest decisions. They worry about daily interactions with people and the impressions they are making on others. And sometimes even wrestle with each word of a simple email. In general we all tend the take everything too seriously. Especially ourselves. A favorite thought of mine is – Life is too serious to take that seriously.
Everyone has responsibilities and goals to achieve. There are probably countless things you must do and so many people depending on you. Seriousness should be there as per the weight of the situation. You are the best judge to decide the weight of every problem or obstacle you have to overcome. But an overemphasis on seriousness in life lends itself to a narrow way of understanding what’s worth your time and attention. It can even make you less productive by making you so nervous about one thing in particular. You are also likely to misjudge other people’s reaction if you are too serious about everything. A serious attitude makes it difficult to connect better with others. When you stop taking everything so seriously, you make more genuine connections that can have a positive influence on your life. A relaxed personality is not an indication that you are irresponsible.
The problem with taking ourselves too seriously is that we choose to look for approval — the fear of rejection prevent us from living our best lives. We allow people to become our judges. Fear of ridicule makes us overthink everything. The need for worthiness — pleasing, performing, and perfecting consumes us. When you wrongly convince yourself that the world is a stage, you become an actor who must perform to please. That mindset can make the rest of your life miserable. Living our lives as an endless performance is exhausting — we are always playing a part.
Often people who take things too seriously are perfectionists and can’t tolerate their imperfections and vulnerabilities. Here is the thing, you start living when you aren’t excessively worrying and overly concerned with every potential “what if?” scenario. Stress and worry is not a responsible way to deal with life’s challenges. While you are busy worrying about everything you need to sort out, you miss out on enjoying the little things that matter. You miss out on the moments of significance that can make you happy and fulfilled in life. You miss out connecting with people on a deeper level.
Imagine a world where everyone took prioritized self-care and their own well-being first before stressing about everything wrong in their lives. Here is the real truth — while things are nowhere near perfect — the sun still rises and falls every day. The sky isn’t falling. It isn’t. The evolution and transformation of everything around us will still continue even when we are long gone. You can probably see this in your own life. You are changing but you are too busy stressing about everything to notice or enjoy the process. Get out of your own head. All that worry is worth your sanity. Try to stop taking everything so seriously and witness the difference that makes in your life. Go for whatever you have always wanted, but make sure to have fun in the process.
Sanity returns as you focus on what is at hand, give it your very best and keep moving. Appreciate your journey in life as much as the destination you seek. No one is perfect or has all the answers. Make the most of every day. The truth is nobody is thinking about you or judging you as much as you are judging yourself.
Peace and Love, Jim
#tooserious #thedailybuddha
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