{"id":1937,"date":"2018-12-04T20:18:48","date_gmt":"2018-12-04T18:18:48","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/flow.bg\/?p=1937"},"modified":"2021-09-11T19:49:07","modified_gmt":"2021-09-11T17:49:07","slug":"shtastieto-ti-ne-zavisi-ot-nikoy-drug","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/flow.bg\/en\/shtastieto-ti-ne-zavisi-ot-nikoy-drug\/","title":{"rendered":"Your happiness does not depend on anyone else! Take responsibility yourself!"},"content":{"rendered":"

Your happiness depends solely on what YOU choose to pay attention to.<\/em><\/p>\n

"Hello, Solomon," Sarah said firmly as she waited for her bag on the fence.<\/p>\n

Good afternoon Sarah. Today is a beautiful day, isn't it?<\/em><\/p>\n

"Yeah, I guess it is," Sarah replied blankly, though she hadn't really noticed, and didn't really care, that the sun was shining brightly today. Sarah took the scarf off her neck and stuffed it in her pocket.<\/p>\n

Solomon waited quietly for Sarah to collect her thoughts and begin her normal stream of questions, but today Sarah was unusually sullen.<\/p>\n

"Solomon," Sarah began, "I don't understand."<\/p>\n

What don't you understand Sarah?<\/em><\/p>\n

- I do not understand what<\/a> good happens from the fact that I walk around and feel grateful for things. I mean, I really don't notice anything that good happening.<\/p>\n

What do you mean Sarah?<\/em><\/p>\n

"Well, I was starting to get really good at it." I practiced all week. It was hard at first, but then it got easier. And today I was grateful for everything until I went to school and heard Lynn and Tommy picking on poor Donald again.<\/p>\n

Then what happened?<\/em><\/p>\n

\u2013 Then I got angry. I got so angry that I yelled at them. I just wanted them to leave Donald alone so he could be happy. But I did it again, Solomon. I joined their chain of pain. I just hate these guys, Solomon. I think they are terrible.<\/p>\n

Why do you hate them?<\/em><\/p>\n

- Because you ruined my wonderful day. Throughout the day, I would be grateful for my bed, then for breakfast, for Mom and Dad, and even for Jason. All the way to school I had so many things to be thankful for and then you ruined it, Solomon. They made me feel terrible again.<\/strong> As before. Before I learned to be grateful.<\/p>\n

No wonder you're angry with them, Sarah, because you've fallen into a terrible trap. In fact, it is the worst trap in the world.<\/em><\/p>\n

Sarah didn't like the sound of that at all. She had seen enough of Jason and Billy's homemade traps, and she had released many small mice, squirrels, and birds that had fallen into them. The idea that someone might trap her too made Sarah feel terrible.<\/p>\n

"What do you mean, Solomon?" What trap?<\/p>\n

Well Sarah, when your happiness depends on what<\/a> someone else does or doesn't do, you are trapped because you cannot control their actions and thoughts. But, Sarah, you will find true liberation\u2014freedom beyond your wildest dreams\u2014when you realize that your happiness does not depend on anyone else.<\/strong> Your happiness depends only on what you<\/strong> you choose to pay attention.<\/em><\/p>\n

Sarah listened quietly, tears streaming down her rosy cheeks.<\/p>\n

Right now you feel trapped because you think you couldn't have reacted any other way to what happened. When you witness something<\/a>, which makes you feel uncomfortable, you meet these conditions. And you think that the only way to feel better is if the conditions are better. And because you can't control the conditions, you feel trapped.<\/em><\/p>\n

Sarah wiped her face with her sleeve. She felt very confused. Solomon was right. She was trapped. And he wanted to free himself from the trap<\/p>\n

Sarah, keep working on the gratitude and you will start to feel better. You will see. It won't be difficult for you to understand. Keep having fun. We'll talk again tomorrow.<\/em><\/p>\n

We also show you a wonderful video of Milena Goleva - The Three Kinds of Happiness:<\/p>\n