How to Stop Feeling Like Shit

<p>At an early stage in our lives, most of us have been taught that we need something outside of us to be happy – the right body, partner, job, car, house, bank account. Then somewhere along the line we also get taught something like, “True happiness comes from within.”</p><p>And we think we’re totally on board with that. We think, “Right. It’s not stuff that makes me happy – it's things like kindness + compassion that make me happy!”</p><p>The thing is, none of the above is true. </p><p>Want to know why? Because while it may seem obvious to many of you that “things” don’t cause lasting happiness, neither do kindness and compassion. It’s deeper than that.</p><p>Sound blasphemous? Stay with me.</p><p><i><strong>Here’s the deal:</strong></i> we need to get really clear (like ASAP) on what, exactly, comes from outside of us and what comes from <strong>within</strong>.</p><p>And we need to learn this not from someone telling us what’s-what, but through our <strong>own </strong>experience, our own investigation, our own inner knowing.</p><p>Most of us think that what’s going on in our <strong>mind </strong>is the same as what’s going on in the <strong>external </strong>world. </p><p>When we don’t understand the difference between the two, we’re constantly <strong>exhausting </strong>ourselves trying to <strong>control </strong>the world in order to <strong>feel better</strong>.</p><p>We’re always grasping, searching, and believing that if we could just get fit, if we could just find the right partner, if we could just make more money, if we could just move to a different state, then everything would be so much better. We would be able to stop feeling like shit about our lives.</p><p>But the thing about how humans roll (and let’s be honest, capitalism hasn’t helped with this) is that we want something, we get it, and then we want the <strong>next </strong>thing. </p><p>But there IS no “thing” we can “get” or achieve that would stop us from wanting.</p><p>The truth is: even if there was, none of that outside stuff contr