“If you want to be happy, don’t do something you don’t like. Don’t say something you don’t mean. Pretending and lying to yourself will only breed unhappiness.” ~Michael Lee
Do you like your job? Do you love your partner? Are you happy? You may answer yes to these questions, but is that what you believe deep down?
Most of us go through life pretending rather than living. We find it easier to tell ourselves that we feel good about something or someone than to admit we don’t. After all, contentment doesn’t require action. By convincing ourselves we’re happy when we’re not, we avoid the difficult decisions that would be necessary to change our current situation.
If we pretend everything is fine, there’s no need to quit that job we hate. We don’t have to contend with all the risks, fears, and potential disapproval we might face from friends, loved ones, and colleagues if we leave it behind.
We don’t have to tell our partner that we aren’t in love with him or her anymore or that we aren’t happy in our relationship.
We don’t have to swallow our pride and ask for help when we need it because, hey, everything is just fine!
We can simply smile and keep pretending.
We try very hard to pretend everything is fine in our lives while knowing deep down that this couldn’t be further from the truth. We spend so much time trying to conform to society and the expectation of those around us that we lose the ability to listen to our hearts.
