mind over matter

"We either make ourselves miserable, or we make ourselves happy. The amount of work is the same." Carols Castaneda

How true is that quote! Another one, which is a Doris Howard essential, is "Life's circumstances will either make you bitter or better... it's your choice." Putting these ideas into practice is a bit easier said than done, however. It's so easy to wallow in self-pity and negativity, especially if it is a habit formed by years of practice. I think I have been guilty of covering up my issues with pleasure. Now that I am fasting from my go-to "pleasure" standbys, I have come face to face with certain things that I have heretofore (my boss uses this word all the time and it makes me laugh... who really says "heretofore" anymore?) dealt with using that age-old tactic of avoidance. Now that these issues are surfacing, I find myself faced with the choice of bitter or better, miserable or happy. I am reaching for better and happy. There is an amount of work that goes into it, though, and I think I might just be lazy.