Where is Your Quality of Life?

When I think in terms of "quality of life' I find that my mind is habituated to immediately think in terms of what I have, what I own, how free I am to play and travel. But over the years I have recognized that there have been times when, even having all these things, I was still unhappy. Why is that? How can that be so?

We've been trained in our society to believe that a big house, nice car, agreeable spouse, kids going to good schools, great vacations and good looks are all part of the vision we need to hold in order to be successful and achieve the greatest quality of life.

We work year after year toiling away in order to reach these goals. But I have had the great fortune to have learned that these goals are not the real goal. This insight comes from not only my own life experience but also as a life coach I have had the opportunity to step into the hearts and minds of hundreds of people who have achieved all these things and still feel far less than fulfilled. "What's missing?, they may asked. "There's got to be something else to work for."

The goal we are really striving for is not just the attainment of future objectives although that is one of the most enjoyable aspects of being human. We are creators after all. But the real goal we want to reach is the feeling of deep and all pervasive happiness and that can only be obtained by releasing our resistance and our struggle with whatever it is we are pushing against.

This is by no means a passive act. It takes great courage and faith. When you are drowning it is not so easy to relax into it. But, it is only by relaxing into it that you will begin to float and finally learn to enjoy swimming.