Brilliant or lazy?

I saw a poster the other day that said something like "The job of a teacher is not to cut the wings but to direct the flight", lovely thought isn't it?
As children we see the world as a place where anything can happen, the possibilities are endless, we are creative, intuitive and brave. Then we grow up, and  the majority of us lose our "wings",  why?
We are told to study, have good grades and find a job, so we do. We graduate, we get a job, we buy a car and then a house, we start a family, maybe we get a dog and so on. This is life, ultimately it is what we are meant to do. We are social beings, having family and friends is part of what we are, it is one of our basic needs but it is not a reason to stop chasing our dreams. We don't have to turn into boring adults to make a living.
Some people never lose their wings, those are the ones that think differently from the rest of us. They are the ones that, like a child, question everything. They are the ones brave enough to make their lives a succession of experiments. They are not afraid of failure, they are called crazy more often than not but they don't care, because  every step gets them closer to their goals. Did I mention that they have families too? They do.
What makes these few people so different from the rest of us? I don't think it has anything to do with school nor the way we have our society build. I think we become lazy! It is so much easier to have a job that even though it makes us miserable it provides us with a regular income. And let's be honest, most people measure happiness by the amount of stuff they own.
So if you don't like your job you're the only one to blame!

Happy me!

Where I came from is unthinkable to drink a coffee "on the go", we sit, we drink an espresso and then we go. In Ireland everyone drinks coffee from a paper cup, while walking or driving or even working! And they're big, big cups! And they drink it through a little hole on the lid!  No!! That's not the way, that is not how people drink coffee!

This morning, like all mornings of the last eight years, I went to buy my coffee, in a big paper cup, with lid, and as I was walking home drinking  it through a little hole I felt happy, and I thought " girl, you're easy!"

I am easy, I fill my days with little happy moments, I make the most with what I have, I adapt easily, I can see the good side of almost everything. 

I can get annoyed and angry like everybody else but I don't hold on to those feelings. The peaceful moments, those I let them linger until they fill me with joy.

Happiness happens, but we have to let it happen, it is all in our mind.  We have to want to be happy, then it's easy, you only need a little practice. Every morning try to set the   intention of being happy, say " today I am going to be happy", hold on to that thought and you will be surprised how everything looks much brighter.

For me, I'm easy, anything can bring me joy, anything can make me laugh, but I will give some examples of my daily happy moments:

- my morning, "on the go" coffee, especially on a cold morning

- my yoga practice

- outrageous things my daughters say

- sharing jokes with Marco

- watching South Park

- playing with my daughters

- playing with the dogs

- family dinner

- laughing with my colleagues

Then comes the weekend, and I can spend time with Marco and the girls, and that, for me is pure bliss.

Yep, I'm a pretty happy person!

TickTockFock

Today as I was checking my secret life on IG, I came across with #ticktuckfuk, the post by @deemoi was about her coping mechanism, her way of facing obstacles, screaming and shouting and get on with life. TickTuckFuk stayed with me for the rest of the day, it made me think about life, my life.

My generation was taught that you choose a profession, you go to college to learn it, you get a job and make a career. You never ever quit your job. So you study hard, you work hard and you buy a house and a car, you get married and have kids (and a couple of dogs). Then you buy a bigger house and a better car (and more kids and more dogs). I'm not saying that this is wrong, we need doctors, nurses, engineers, architects, (and maybe one or two lawyers and an economist), but should we really be doing the same thing day after day, after day until we die? Life is constantly changing around us, and so are we. We just need to accept it.

We are wonderful beings  built with the capacity to adapt to different environments. It's in our genes. Our bodies need to move and our minds need challenges to be healthy. So what do we fear? Failure? Well, failure doesn't exist! We invented the concept as an excuse for our refusal of changing, to keep us in a comfortable and safe environment.

And what about true happiness? Happiness is not about things you can buy, it's about moments spent with your loved ones. If you spend your life working long hours how can you build those moments, what memories will you have at the end of your journey?

For me, my most precious possession is my family, they are my  strength and as long as I have them I will always find a way to care and provide for them. 

I am now eight years different than I was when I came to Ireland, the clock is ticking, TickTockFock  it's time to move.