Color Your Life Happy

When the movie “The Secret” first appeared, everyone urged me to see it. I already believed in the Law of Attraction and the power of believing is the key to getting what you want. So I enjoyed the movie as a reminder of what I already knew to be true. But while there were many who were inspired by it, a lot of people believe “The Secret”  is bogus, drivel, and downright useless.

Rhonda Byrne, the television producer who is the author of the book and creator of the DVD, must surely be crying all the way to the bank over all the negative responses.  After all, this 90 minute movie was a huge success not just because millions of people viewed it, but because it  took the nontraditional route. It was never shown in movie theaters, but it was so popularized by word of mouth (better known as viral marketing) that it caught Oprah’s attention.

Why are some folks unimpressed with “The Secret?”

• Makes manifesting good sound magical and doesn’t admit that success takes hard work
• Promotes idea that success means accumulating wealth and things
• Doesn’t go far enough to explain feelings and emotions that are behind our thoughts
• Disregards the random events, disasters and other things outside of us that affect our lives

There are many paths to finding joy. For some this movie tapped into one of them. How about you? What’s your take on “The Secret.”

If your life were a blank canvas and all the choices in life were colored pencils, how would you color your life?

Would you hide your colored pencils and settle for a bland life?

Or out of fear that you’d make mistakes would you give the job of coloring your life up to someone else?  This is very risky and can lead to disaster and despair.

One young lady told me ten years ago that she hated her job and wanted to become a travel agent. But she never took any action toward her goal. Today she’s still in the same job, has never pursued her dream, and is clearly depressed. She doesn’t know that she had the power to color her life.

When I left my junior high teaching career to return to school decades ago, the husband of a friend asked me how long it would take me to finish the doctoral program. I replied maybe 3 to 4 years. He thought that was a very long time. He mentioned that he had always wanted to return to school, but thought it would take too long. It took me four years and now that’s been 30 years ago. He still has not returned to school.

I’m not encouraging you to return to school or change careers, unless that’s what you want to do.  I ask you to examine what is fulfilling to you and start doing it. For this to work, however, you will need to steer clear of toxic people bent on being unhappy and taking you with them. You know who I mean–the ones who push your buttons. You feel bad, upset or angry after an encounter with them because you gave them the power. Coloring your happy means taking back the power over your life.

Most people long to be rich. We only want to be rich because we think money will buy us what we really want. It’s not likely that you would be satisfied for very long to just hug and kiss a bag bulging with millions of dollars.  You’re more likely to want to spend it on a bigger house, a car, a trip around the world perhaps. But these things aren’t really what you want either.

You expect the bigger house, the car, or anything else to give you freedom, adventure, time to spend with family and friends, maybe even prestige and fame. If money really ensured happiness, wealthy people would never get depressed or commit suicide.  But we know that’s not true.

 ”What makes you qualified to tell me how to be happy?” you may be thinking.

I am not qualified to make you happy or tell you how to get happy. Like most people, I have navigated some rocky paths and to this day my life is not perfect. My four adult children are each seeking their different paths, and I’m not thrilled with every choice they make. But they must make their own choices and create their own happiness. I love and am proud of them.

I know that I won’t win a beauty contest and Simon would shoot me down on American Idol with both ears closed.  I am not the smartest, most clever or sharpest tool in the drawer. I don’t believe in luck. I enjoy my life because I have discovered my inner joy and I choose to be happy.

I hope my experiences and those of others will encourage you to claim your own joy. Don’t waste another minute being unhappy. Color your life happy.

Welcome.