Finding Happiness in a Frustrating World

Every day, we are given a chance to create change in our life. However, we neglect to grab such opportunity to create change because we’re either too preoccupied with a lot of stuff or too lazy to move and take action.

The Common Cause of Unhappiness

I remember when I was still employed and working in a government bank agency. The work culture was very different from the corporate set-up I previously worked at. It was less stressful and untiring since the work environment wasn’t as demanding and fast-pace compared with private companies. Additionally, I was earning a lucrative salary base with very nice bonuses and allowances.

A lot of people saw my work as a dream and prestigious job, for who wouldn’t want a nice high-paying job with easier work responsibility? Still, I left the agency, not because I wasn’t financially satisfied, but because I wasn’t mentally, emotionally and spiritually happy or fulfilled. I felt that the only good reason it’s wise for me to stay was because of the high salary, less work and the prestige of working in that agency. Yet, the consequences of staying include adapting the negative work ethic, lacking drive for change and innovation, slow-pace working habit, and developing a reactive attitude. Other people may be able to deal with those in exchange for the comfort of having a high salary and prestigious work. However, for me, it was against my values and principles.

Personally, I give so much significance to having an entrepreneurial mindset. It’s an attitude that takes charge of one’s own life – by managing your thoughts, feelings and actions – that which defines the outcome.

For me, staying in an environment that makes me unhappy and unfulfilled wasn’t worth my time. Because being stuck in a negative environment will poison the entire positive outlook that I have. As they say, attitude is contagious.

Furthermore, I was intolerable of slow-pace and inflexible environment with not much innovative thinking and progress for I strongly believe that the only permanent thing in life is change. So if you want to better cope (grab opportunity) with change, you need to develop an innovative mindset.

During my stay in the agency, I started to develop a reactive attitude ~ I became complacent and sluggish. I wasn’t happy with who I was becoming. For these reasons, I decided to let go of a high paying and prestigious job in order to free myself and take charge of my professional and personal life as an entrepreneur.

I wish I can tell you that the path I took was very easy, but truthfully, it wasn’t. It’s much easier to stay in comfort zone and just keep on complaining rather than take risk and create change in one’s life. I guess that’s the reason why most people do the former. But if you’ll ask me if it’s fulfilling and rewarding, my answer will be yes! Because I was able to live the life that I want after I took the step to take risk and be out of my comfort zone.

Now, I am able to work on what I really want to do, I have all the time to experiment and grab opportunities, and I am in charge of all the possibilities I can acquire. With such freedom, the happiness, success, financial freedom and fulfillment I can acquire is limitless. Unlike if I chose to stay working in the bank agency, probably right now I still feel negative, unhappy, unsuccessful and unfulfilled. My earnings will be limited with my salary and bonuses. Plus, I don’t have the freedom to experiment and innovate since I have to abide by the rules of the agency.

Finding Happiness is Having the Courage to Let Go of Comfort

The point I want to emphasize here is to have the courage to break away from the things that makes you unhappy and unfulfilled. Be brave to get out of your comfort zone to find your own happiness, success and purpose.

Oftentimes, the reason of our unhappiness and lack of fulfillment comes from knowing what we want, yet we don’t do something about it. It may be ‘cause of our fear of change, discomfort and failure. So instead, we just force ourselves to think that what we have, or where we are, is already the best choice. We let our doubt, fear or ego to defeat us that’s why we chose not to change and just continue complaining with our life.

The huge benefit of having the courage to change your life and find happiness is countless. Some of the benefit is eliminating the constant “what ifs”. You’ll be able to discover and achieve more than the things you can do if you chose to stay. You can be free to explore and find where your real happiness is rather than locking yourself to something that makes you stressed, unmotivated and unhappy.

For a final note, keep this phrase in mind whenever you feel unhappy yet unwilling to let go of your comfort zone:

We cannot become what we want to be by remaining what we are. ~ Max DePree

I hope you were able to pick up valuable lesson from this article. Do you have the same experience of getting out of your comfort zone or choosing to stay with what makes you unhappy? I’d like to hear your story and thoughts in the comment box below.