I think we try too hard; generally, we try too hard, How is it that putting too much pressure on ourselves has become the “normal” thing to do? Whenever I try to go back to that moment in time when I stopped living every moment and started “trying” to live, I freeze in thought. I can’t seem to track it down to a single moment when that shift happened. And when we try to just take it easy and let it be, we feel like something is wrong and we start looking for things to get us to think and worry.

We forbid ourselves from just being. We don’t leave ourselves in peace. And when we meet people who seem to be really living and enjoying themselves – like kids do – we accuse them of being careless and start labeling them as “carefree,” as if that were a negative way of being.

At the same time, we watch kids playing and keep repeating out loud in admiration “oh I wish I could be a child again, with no care in the world and just easily amused.” Well, what’s stopping us? We can have responsibilities, jobs, errands, kids, and still be happy and enjoy our lives. It’s all choice, isn’t it?

I find that we give way to our egos, treating them as motivators or catalysts to always do better, achieve more, make more money, …etc. I started seeing that our ego minds have pretty much taken over, leading us to always judge ourselves and others, label ourselves and others, and set ourselves and others up for the notion of “failure.” There’s no such thing; if you do your part and enjoy every day of your life as you work, laugh, engage with people, spend time alone, and even sit in silence, then that’s really all you should and can be doing. We always have a choice to appreciate, realise the innate wellbeing and health we take for granted, and simply allow ourselves to “be.”

Maybe if we stop living for the results and start enjoying the journey instead, maybe then we will feel a sense of joy. Maybe if we stop worrying about things we cannot control, and stop trying so hard to control everything, maybe then we will be at peace.