Blog #6- Personal Happiness

Throughout my life I have witnessed other people as well as myself battle with what makes them truly happy and their desire to satisfy others. If there is one thing I have learned from these observations, however, it is that sometimes it is necessary to be strong and put yourself before other people. Whether its the stay-at-home mom who never takes care of herself because she has to take care of an entire family or the daughter who is forced to live out her parents lost dreams, most people are guilty of not stepping back and taking a moment to think for themselves.

For myself, I worry about going off to college and leaving my parents behind. I can see the constant dread on my mom's face of the days when I will no longer live with her. As bad as I feel, however, I know that the last thing I intend to do is spend the rest of my life at home. Life is never meant to be easy and my mom should be able to understand that concept. These events are going to occur whether she wants them to or not, and I can not put my life on hold simply because I feel bad. Plus, my desire to have a life of my own and a place of my own overrides any other negative emotion I may be feeling.

There is, however, a fine line between listening to your heart and being selfish. The distinction is very delicate and difficult to describe. Although we should listen to our hearts and find our own purpose in life, we should not let that take control of us. For example, although balancing work and a relationship is important, one should not become obsessed with working and having a career to the point that it destroys the relationship.

Basically, it is all about balance and because we are human, none of us are very good at it.