How Good Are You?

The demands of being a good person can sometimes mean sacrificing your own happiness.

You may have been raised to be a good boy or girl; encouraged to be a good worker, to be a good parent; to be a good friend; to be a good citizen? And I'm not saying that this is wrong; what questioning the effects of this on our individual happiness and the impact on our country.

Are we becoming happier more fulfilled people by being "good" or are we just a group of people heading nowhere but where we're told?

If we continue to be good workers, will this ever allow us to achieve our full potential as human beings? If we continue to be good-parents, protecting our children when it is safe to empower them, will they grow to be all they can be? If we continued to be good friends, by sheltering our companions from the truth, will they ever get the information that is vital to their well-being? And if we continue to be good citizens who go along with what were told and are happy to leave the issues in the hands of the 'higher' authorities will we ever live alongside one another, full of love and accepting of our differences?

What does "good" mean anyway? In the "good old days," good literally meant, "good!" But today good often means "average" or "normal": about half-way between everything and nothing ? on the pivotal point between life and death? one thing miss judged and out of kilter and suddenly we're on the wrong side of life.

"Good" is also often about fitting in with the set of parameters set up by the people we associate with. This often involves giving pre-programmed responses to requests or behaving in an expected way ? like telling your children not to do something at your parents home when you would allow them to do it at home or staying behind an extra hour or two at work because of the targets set by the boss. But the issue goes deeper?

Being good, or average or normal, involves following the pack. Buying the food advertisers tell us is good for us, even when it is laced with sugar, salt and hydrogenated oils that we know are bad for us. Being normal involves taking drugs for minor illnesses when our bodies break down even when we know our body often takes longer to deal with the drugs side-effects than the initial symptoms. We believe what we are told in the press without bothering to question the validity of a statement and the motivation of the people telling us. Blindly we follow.

We call people strange and odd when they try to escape the pack. My son recently asked, 'Why do we have to be weird?' The question comes out of feeling different to others and for a moment it hit me with a tinge of sadness until I remembered why we are "weird":

We're weird because we follow our dreams. We're weird because we eat well, exercise regularly, hardly get ill and research as much as we can about things that affect our lives.

I ask you this: which is weirder ? following the pack of "good" even when it is killing you or doing what gives you life and hope?

Neil Millar, formally medically obese, caught up in the rat-race and suffering from depression would love to share his experiences with you in the hope they help you make your life better.

Go to his website now, sign-up for his free, fast-growing newsletter with Unstoppable Life, get a free e-book as a thank you for joining and discover other enlightening reading material.

http://www.neilmillar.net

---

Happiness is Yours for the Taking

Happiness. The pursuit of so many. In fact, we are... Read More

Get Out Those Legos

Many of my clients are working harder than smarter. This... Read More

10 Ways to Bring Meaning to Your Life

My life always appears to be so hectic. It's as... Read More

It Costs Nothing To Smile

I like to be around positive people, people who tend... Read More

Define Me

We've all had a vision or a great idea and... Read More

You Can?t See Your Own Eyes

My friend called me this morning from her favorite coffee... Read More

How To Make Your Own Happiness

Happiness comes to a person when it is caused by... Read More

What is the Ultimate Lifestyle?

Since the mission of this newsletter is to help you... Read More

No Happiness Without Patience

I'm searching for modern happiness. The old-fashioned kind takes just... Read More

The Science of Laughter

The title I chose for this article makes me smile.... Read More

How To Dance With Life

Fortunate, indeed, is the man who takes exactly the right... Read More

Can You Really Let Go Of Your Huge Internal Struggle?

When I was in graduate school for psychology, we had... Read More

Ten Ways to Eliminate Guilt From Your Life

1. Say "Yes" Only When You Want ToYou want to... Read More

A Bad Hairdresser Day

"Hey everybody!" Hairdresser Lady called out. "It's The Happy Guy.""Don't... Read More

Being Together

When it comes to happiness, togetherness is probably the most... Read More

Your Perfect Partner

A woman we'll call "Jane" thought she was a great... Read More

How Do You Define Happiness?

I ran a contest in "Your Daily Dose of Happiness"... Read More

The Golden Moments in Life

This month I'm going to talk about something I've never... Read More

Happiness as a Habit

Health and Happiness are the two things that most people... Read More

Choose Happiness

It's a beautiful spring day in Beverly Hills, California. I'm... Read More

Increase Your Happiness - Look Forward With Hindsight

Six months ago you had trouble finding your keys and... Read More

A Great Life? How to Score Your Life

Is your life really the life you want?Quickly determine how... Read More

How To Be Outrageously Happy

You can be as happy as you want whenever you... Read More

Happy Buttons

What makes you happy? What are the simple pleasures that... Read More

Flow as in Flower

The seeds you sow determine the crop you reap. This... Read More