Tag: contentment

• A Story About Fear

  Worry is a story you tell yourself about something that might never happen.

  You cannot predict the future.

  And you cannot improve the future by worrying about it.

  If anything, worrying only makes things worse by ruining your experience of this moment.

  It is normal to have fear, but fear is a passing feeling.

  Worry is a decision to obsess about your fears, to tell yourself a story about what your fear means.

  If you can learn to let your fear go, to not waste your time with the stories, you will find that peace is available to you whenever you choose.

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  A STORY ABOUT FEAR
  By Robert Van Valkenburgh
  Meditations of a Gentle Warrior

  To read my longer writing, subscribe at robertvanvalkenburgh.com

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  June 26, 2024

  contentment, fear, peace, worry

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• Live With Others

  When you stop trying to force the world to adapt to your desires, you’ll be a lot happier.

  You have enough things to worry about without worrying about what everyone else is doing.

  Life is full of opportunities and you will miss many of them by constantly trying to change others.

  Focus on being yourself and let others be who they are.

  Learn to live with others instead of trying to change them to be more like you want them to be.

  Embrace the differences you find in those around you and enjoy the unique interactions life presents to you.

  Not only will you be happier, but you will also have more energy because you won’t be wasting yours trying to change the world.

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  LIVE WITH OTHERS
  By Robert Van Valkenburgh
  Meditations of a Gentle Warrior

  To receive my daily blog in your inbox, subscribe at holisticbudo.com

  To contact me or to see what else I’m up to, visit robertvanvalkenburgh.com

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  May 27, 2024

  change, contentment, happiness, relationships

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• Two Stories From Pain

  Even if someone hates, hurts, or mistreats you, how you feel about that is up to you.

  People will wrong you, you will experience tragedy and loss, and the world will treat you unfairly.

  Pain is inevitable, but resentment and self-pity are optional.

  They are not a burden bestowed upon you, but a burden you choose to pick up and carry.

  Once the initial pain of injury subsides, you get to choose what story you tell yourself.

  You can either tell yourself a story of suffering and victimhood, or of healing and empowerment.

  The former story leads to misery and despair, while the latter leads to contentment and freedom.

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  TWO STORIES FROM PAIN
  By Robert Van Valkenburgh
  Meditations of a Gentle Warrior

  To receive my daily blog in your inbox, subscribe at holisticbudo.com

  To contact me, to see what else I’m up to, or to read my longer writings, visit robertvanvalkenburgh.com

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  May 19, 2024

  choice, contentment, decisions, depression, feelings, happiness, pain, suffering

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• The Wisdom Of Victimhood

  Pay attention to the people who are happy when you are happy.

  There are a lot of different versions of this saying.

  What they all have in common is the idea that you should be mindful of who is and is not supportive of your success.

  But this type of thinking only leads to bitterness, resentment, and self pity.

  It is an attitude of victimhood disguised as wisdom that will not lead to greater success, happiness, or contentment.

  You have no way of knowing what someone is thinking, why they do what they do, or what they are going through, which may have nothing to do with you.

  Live your life as you see fit, seek happiness and success for their own sake, and find a peace in yourself that is unaffected by the ever-changing world around you.

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  March 2, 2024

  contentment, happiness, peace, success

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• Unhappy With More

  If you find yourself unhappy regardless of what you achieve, lack of achievement may not be your problem.

  Achievement is a deceptive thing.

  From the outside, achievement looks like it will bring you satisfaction, but that which drives you toward achievement is not satisfied by outcomes.

  The part of you that pursues success does not actually want success.

  It simply wants more.

  More, however, does not, in fact it cannot, bring you happiness, at least not in a lasting, meaningful way.

  The desire for more is insatiable and happiness cannot be found in the insatiable.

  While achievement may feel good for a moment, and it certainly feels better than failure, it does not address the cause for your unhappiness.

  That you must address on your own, and it most likely will not be addressed with more.

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  October 26, 2023

  accomplishment, achievement, contentment, fulfillment, happiness, satisfaction, success

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