The grass is always greener

(by © Brandon Elijah Scott / Eye & Pen)

“You may think the grass is greener on the other side, but if you take the time to water your own grass, it would be just as green.” –Unknown

Everyone at some point in life looks ‘over the fence’ and believes that their life would be better spent in a completely different location or with a different job, or even a different partner. The truth is that sometimes changes in life are absolutely necessary to maintain, or to find happiness, however change based on negative reasons, selfish lust, or jaded feelings usually lead to continued or renewed negativities. Typically, decisions made so that one can run away will turn sour, as nothing really has changed. If you simply feel complacent and stale where you live, then get out and travel the world, or perhaps move to the place you’ve always dreamt of living. But keep in mind that every place, everywhere has issues. Even if your problems don’t follow you along in your life changes, it’s important to keep in mind that nothing and nowhere is perfect. If life were perfect in that faraway paradise, it would be where everyone would move to and live their lives – it would be THE place to live and everywhere else that wasn’t perfect would be deserted.

It’s easy to have moments of jealousy toward others, and it’s common to feel twinges of envy toward other people’s lives, of the love they’ve found, or the things they own, but the key to happiness in life is the realization that life is short and the moments you have are precious – not the amount of junk one owns or social status. Most people who look to the grass on the other side usually are ignoring the blessings they already have in life. While life is full of lessons, some are harder than others. The most important lesson, in my opinion, is realizing what’s most important to you. I believe at some point, most become aware that the people in our lives and the precious moments that take our breath away are truly vital. Once you learn that those are the type of things that are simply more important than say money or material objects, then happiness can be mastered and acquired easily.

With that said, the point probably isn't to bail and leave and start over, even though that may be just what the doctor ordered for some out there – for others, the only remedy may be to learn to appreciate the life they have and the great things about it. There are several ways that people end up with this wisdom of maturity, but it’s different for everyone. The most common teacher is to have everything and then lose it. But you can also learn to appreciate life’s treasures by traveling and personally witnessing people of other cultures, living lives in different fashions, so therefore you’ve seen life through other perspectives than the one you’re used to.

Most people who have lead tough lives without resource tend to already have this outlook and have the understanding of what’s most important to them. However, sometimes others have a completely opposite outlook, where they’re obsessed with the drive of attaining what they never had before – in this perspective, it’s easy to lose track of what’s most important. Those who have grown up feeling trapped, without ‘a way out,’ may be living life under-circumstance, and while it may not be fair compared to others who have never had to deal with similar difficulties, it’s possible to find happiness no matter the circumstance – with passionate dreaming, creative imagination, logical planning, and true followthrough, one can take control and make life their own life.

Remember:
“The life one leads is lived the way they choose to live it.” –Brandon Elijah Scott