“I’ll be happy when…”
- When a new semester starts
- When the season starts
- When the season is over
- When I get a new coach
- When my coach grows a brain and plays me more
- When they go to daycare
- When they get home
- When I lose the weight
- When he starts treating me better
- Once we have kids
- Once they are out of diapers
- Once they are out of this phase
- When I find a hobby
- When I find a group of good friends
- When I get through this proposal
- When…
- When…
- When…
We don’t need to say these things out loud to feel the negative implications of them. This is the experience most people have every day of their lives…
And quite frankly, one of the reasons we default to this way of thinking is because it is the easy way through circumstances, but it is the more painful path through life.
Since questions determine your perspective which in turn determines the emotions you experience, why not replace the “I’ll be happy when” thoughts with these questions:
- What is going great right now?
- What am I proud of?
- How can I help someone else today?
- Where can I make progress today? This week? This month?
- What am I excited about?
- What good do I believe will come from my current circumstances?
Sure, my 3 year old is incredibly persistent and strong willed causing us to all but pull our hair out more often than we would like. But, what good will come from this? How do I believe this will serve him and others down the road in his life?
Our ability to shift from frustrated to joy-filled quickly will determine our experience day to day. Better questions is one way to make that shift.
The quality of our lives ends up simply being the quality of our experience each day.
“We will be happy when” we learn how to find joy regardless of the situation. And honestly, it will take work.
We may be almost a third of the way through the year but you can make a decision today to go on a journey to discover how you can experience joy in any and every circumstance.
Dedicated to your joy and success,
Coach Andrew and the PFP team
Player's Fitness and Performance
Frederick, Md
Personal Trainer
Speed and Agility
Athletic Training
