New Stories or the Same Old Stuff

Red/Blue Bird of Happiness

I wonder if we have  a permanent set of dark colored glasses on when we view our lives. We often lead with the negative things that we know about ourselves instead of the happier and more upbeat events. For example, I am an alcoholic, I am a cancer survivor,  or I am an abuse survivor. These are very important but they don't resonate with joy.
When we describe ourselves by saying that I love my art, my grandchildren or my partner, that brings more lightness into our lives. Even as I am writing this, I can hear you thinking that this is silly. Psychotherapists and Counselors  want us to talk about the difficulties. I think that we need to change this paradigm. Because, when we describe and savor  these moments of joy we open up to the possibilities of many more moments of happiness.

 I remember seeing a therapist when I was in my twenties whom I did not particularly like. But I did value one of his comments. He asked me why I always focused on my  challenges instead of  my happiness.  I had no answer at that time but perhaps I have found the answer.