Giving Up

Huffington Post: 5 Things to Give Up to Be Happy, by Amy Chan

When I was little, I thought that the only thing I needed to be happy was to be out of school, to be free. Later in high school, the only thing I needed to be happy was a great wardrobe and a great boyfriend. In college, the wish was for more money, because living paycheck to paycheck and racking up loan debt was not exactly making it in America.

In either situation, I never thought that the key to being happy would be to give something up. After reading the above article, I do understand, and inasmuch have tried to "give up" those mentalities. 


I openly say that I am selfish. Feeling the need to play a part and not be living truthfully was stifling me. After years of drama in every aspect of life, I decided that if I wasn't happy with myself, I was never going to be where I wanted to be. When we mentally embrace being happy and put ourselves first, there is a very noticeable paradigm shift. 

Lost in Translation  

Charlotte: I just don't know what I'm supposed to be.

Bob: You'll figure that out. The more you know who you are, and what you want, the less you let things upset you. 

What I like about Amy Chan's article is that the feelings and obligations we should give up have to do with how we feel in regard to other people. Meaning that most of what keeps us from being happy are the comparisons we make toward/from others. We are the ones keeping ourselves from being happy, not other people. When we stop looking for approval from others, we actually gain it from within. 


Give up playing a part, and embrace your authentic self. Nothing is keeping us from being happy. Being unhappy is all your head.