It's Time For A Change

It comes as no surprise that there is an ever increasing trend in the number of individuals who are diagnosed with depression, around the world. As much as there is so much to be positive and grateful for in life, we can't pretend there is no violence, no hatred, no negativity, no deception, no dishonesty, and no illegal activities, that are all going on around us. It's not to say we should focus on this negativity by any means, but we certainly should have an awareness of it. Sadly, many of us are too easily drawn in by it, and when there are so many toxic individuals that treat us with such disrespect, unkindness, rudeness, bitterness, and hurtfulness, it's no wonder we start to feel enveloped in unhappiness. Along with other people treating us so badly, we then also have to deal with the daily stress, pressure, and demand, of life in general, as we are constantly overwhelmed with work, our family commitments, our finances, our relationships, and then we are still somehow expected to look after ourselves. Each day, we wake up, we put on a brave face, and we tackle everything before us. If we can just get through another day, then hopefully tomorrow things will get easier for us. It never does though! That stress, pressure, and demand, of everyday life continues to pile up on us. So with others constantly making our life miserable and difficult, on top of the everyday pressures of life, it's no wonder why so many of us are unhappy, but then there's the final straw. The fact that we live our life constantly doing what doesn't make us happy, the fact that we are constantly starved of success and satisfaction, and the fact that we never seem to get any closer to achieving our goals, that unhappiness can so easily turn into depression. You start to question your purpose in life, and the reason behind why life is so challenging and demoralizing. Before long, you wake up not even wanting to confront the world, or the day ahead.

Being someone who suffers from depression myself, I can honestly say I wouldn't wish it upon anyone. Even having invested so much time into mindset training and strengthening, over these past few years, depression is far from something that is easily shrugged off. When things come crashing down around you, it makes battling with those mental demons excruciatingly difficult. Depression can often form as a result of feeling trapped in a life that is completely void of happiness, satisfaction, enjoyment, and fulfillment. In the majority of instances though, we aren't really trapped in our circumstances at all, we just fool ourselves into believing that. There are plenty of options that could guide us out of our troubles, we just don't open our mind to them, or we are just plain fearful of them. We can't control the negativity around us, and how people behave and act, nor can we rely on the everyday pressures and commitments of life to ease, but we can control that third item that I mentioned above, and that is achieving our goals, success, satisfaction, and happiness. The answer comes in one word; change. Whether our unhappiness and depression is being triggered by the fact we are working a job we hate, or the fact we are in an unhealthy relationship, or the fact we are financially struggling, or maybe all of these, or even something that is draining us mentally in another aspect of our life, we know deep down inside of us that we deserve better. Too many of us rely on things automatically turning around for the better, and that if we just sit tight and ride out the tough period, things will get better. Life doesn't often work that way however. Life makes things so uncomfortable for us, that it forces us to act, and the way in which we need to act is to make changes.

Whether it is fear, doubt, or laziness, behind our lack of will to make changes, we need to find the strength and courage to overcome these hurdles. People talk of how they wish their life was better, how they wish they were somewhere else, how they wish they were doing something different, and all these other wishes and dreams of how they want their future to be, but most people don't even have true clarity on exactly what they desire. It's easy to think about and complain about all what we don't want and enjoy in life, but when it comes to thinking about what we actually do want, we can often be left without a genuine vision. There is no solidity in our goals, therefore how can we engage in any actions to achieve our goals when we don't even really know what we are striving for? Where most people seem to make the mistake with their goal is they base it around either money, success, or both, and in doing so, they achieve neither. Our goals should always be based around helping others, making a positive difference in the world, and be something that we have a strong, internal emotional attachment to achieving. That goal needs to inspire us, excite us, motivate us, and drive us. It needs to be something that we would do anything for, and something we would never cease striving for, no matter how challenging, difficult, and lengthy, the journey becomes. We need to be specific as to exactly what we desire. Once we've established that clarity of our goal, and we are driven by it, we can better start to see the changes we need to make in life.

Change is often scary, because we are diving into the unknown basically, and being fearful is a natural human reaction. That fear could be driven by a fear of failure, a fear of financial loss, a fear of making a fool of ourselves, a fear of making the wrong decision, a fear of how other people will react, a fear of being judged and disliked, a fear of being criticized, a fear that things won't improve, a fear that we lack knowledge, and a fear that we lack skill and ability. Strangely enough, some people even have a fear of success, unsure if they would be able to handle it. We need to overcome all of these fears however, because unless we embrace change, then our circumstances won't change either. We need to identify the source of our unhappiness. Now there may be several aspects of our life that are in disarray, but let's focus on the main one first. That could be our job, and the fact we despise it, and it makes us miserable and depressed. What can we do, because we need the income after all? Return to the specifics again! There's no point job hopping for the sake of change, we need a clear vision in our head about what line of work we want to do, what we are passionate about. Once we have clarity in our mind, then we can take action. Is it a job where we need certain qualifications? Then enroll in the relative course and start progressing towards that ideal job. Is it a passion that we can transform into a business? Start working on a business plan and turn that passion into our profession. You will often find change doesn't create an immediate fix. There may be several decisions and actions that are needed, and perhaps a certain length of time, before we achieve our goal and vision. In fact, I can just about guarantee you there will be.

Perhaps we could be stuck in a relationship with a partner who is negative minded, toxic, unsupportive, and even unloving. We are fearful to part ways with them because we are not sure how that person will react and respond, or what they might do. We are maybe concerned that because we have spent so much time with them, and created so many memories together, that we will only end up regretting parting ways with them. Perhaps we can't see ourselves with someone else. You'll know deep down within you, when you are constantly unhappy, miserable, and depressed, that change is needed. Breaking up is an extremely hard thing to do, I've been there. I didn't want to hurt that person I broke up with, but I knew they weren't right for me, and they were affecting me mentally, always dragging me down. Whatever the situation, there's one simple rule to follow in life, and that is that we always need to prioritize our health and happiness above everything else. That includes our job, that includes our family, that includes our partner, that includes money, that includes everything. We can't be a better husband, a better wife, a better father, a better mother, a better friend, a better employee, or a better person at all, if we aren't in good health, or if we aren't happy. Sure we need to make sacrifices in life, but never at the expense of our health and happiness. Get these two aspects in order first and foremost, then you can start focusing on other aspects of life. So if you're at a stage in life where you are constantly unhappy, miserable, unsatisfied, and unfulfilled, don't wait for things to improve, because instead, you'll find yourself with a one way ticket to depression. It's time for a change! Take some risks, be brave, make those difficult decisions, and embrace those uncomfortable actions. Don't spend your life drowning in unhappiness and depression, because you deserve to be happy! As my slogan says, make the change to happiness!

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