Reality Is What It Is

      

By Barbara Berger

Barbara Berger   Here’s an important concept we need to look at if we want to live happier lives. And it’s the idea of reality…    The truth is no matter what we do, reality is what it is, and we don’t have a choice. It’s not in our control. Reality is what it is. Life is what it is. One day it rains and the next day the sun shines. Do you have any control over that? You are breathing and your heart is beating, do you have any control over that? Events and people appear before us and then they go away. Do you have control over that? Parents, partners, children, friends all come and go and things happen and life moves along quite on its own—do you have any control over that? And there you are, with this particular body, doing all the stuff you do until the body gets sick or breaks down, or gets old and the breathing stops and the heart stops beating. And that too is the way of it.    So what does any of this have to do with our expectations? Sometimes life delivers what you think you want and need, and sometimes it doesn’t. But if you really watch what is going on, it becomes pretty obvious pretty fast that you’re not the boss. No matter how hard you try, life does what it does and you’re not in control. And it doesn’t matter how fit you are or how much money you have in the bank, reality is what it is and you’re still not the boss.       That is just the way of it.    And as for partners, it’s the same. Sometimes we have nice partners and friends and sometimes we don’t. And when it comes to money, well sometimes we have money in the bank and sometimes we don’t. And that too is the way of it. Just look around you and you will see that this is true for everybody. There are no exceptions to reality. No exceptions.      So obviously, obviously—believing that you need a partner, health, money in the bank to be happy is not the way to happiness! Why? Because when you base your happiness on these things—on these external events and impossible expectations—you are fighting reality. You are asking for the impossible. You are expecting reality to deliver what you want and chances are that’s probably not going to happen—ever. So this way of thinking, the way we’ve been brought up to think, everything we’ve been programmed to believe is in fact the direct route to hell. And I repeat—the direct route to hell and not to happiness. Why? Because life is what it is. Reality is what it is. We’re not running the show and we don’t have a say in the matter. This moment—the real—is what it is. And that’s final. It’s done.     But again please don’t misunderstand me here. When I say that reality, this moment, is what it is, I don’t mean you shouldn’t live sanely and work for change or work to create a better world. I don’t mean you can’t do everything in your power to live a good, sensible, kind life. I don’t mean you shouldn’t develop your wisdom and understand the law of cause and effect and how it operates in your daily life. No I’m not talking about that. What I am talking about is the fundamental nature of our experience of living this physical existence with these bodies. I’m not talking about all the wise and practical steps you can take to live sensibly in this world with these physical bodies or the many wonderful things you can do to help your fellow men and women. What I am talking about here are our unrealistic expectations to this thing we call life and how these unrealistic expectations make us suffer and lead us straight to hell. So it’s better to wake up to reality and understand the nature of this thing we call life, because when we understand this, we can live happy lives. It is possible. And this is the good news.    In fact, this is very good news.    Why? Because when you look deeply into the nature of this thing called life and begin to understand what life is and the way the mind works, you will come to realize that in fact your happiness does not depend on any outside circumstances, events or people. This is the core realization. This is the heart of this understanding. When things begin to fall apart and you begin to see what’s really going on, you will discover that the happiness you seek is an internal event, an internal experience. And it’s all based on how you interpret whatever is going on right in front of you. Period. Full stop. And that this internal experience has nothing to do with all the things you were programmed to believe your happiness depended on! Which is why I keep saying, if you’re not happy with your life, look at your thinking – and change it! Which is something you can actually do, right here and right now.    And that’s why this is such good news… because it means you’re free! You are free! Your happiness doesn’t depend on anyone or anything outside of you…  It all depends on you! It’s all up to you. And this is something you can do about it!    Blessings to you All!   _____     To see all my many articles on MysticLivingToday, click here:  http://beamteam.com/en/barbara/barbara_berger_articles_mystic_living_today.html     About Barbara Berger American-born Barbara Berger is the best-selling author of “The Road to Power – Fast Food for the Soul” (published in 30 languages), “Are You Happy Now? 10 Ways to Live a Happy Life” (published in 21 languages), “The Awakening Human Being – A Guide to the Power of Mind”, and "Find and Follow Your Inner Compass".  Barbara’s latest books include “Healthy Models for Relationships – the Basic Principles Behind Good Relationships” and her autobiography entitled “My Road to Power – Sex, Trauma & Higher Consciousness”.  Barbara lives in Copenhagen, Denmark and works as coach and therapist, helping people around the globe come into alignment with their own true power. For more about Barbara see her Web site:     http://www.beamteam.com