All of us would like to live in the lap of luxury and ease, no cares or worries, always sunshine, never rain. No bills, no ills. Unfortunately, this wonderful dream is not reality for most of us. There are plenty of things in this society that would get in the way of making a dream like this come true. On the bright side, most of us can live a life that is better than the unrealistic dream above. Once we come to our senses and realize that reality is better than fantasy, we can start to build an exciting life full of adventure, wealth, and promise. The answer is all in our attitude. How we look at things in our life is the factor that determines whether we see our life as wonderful or as disappointing.
To be successful in building a better life, may I suggest that we live on the mild side. Too many of the advertisements that we see are concerned with living on the "wild side" of life, taking unrealistic chances with our health, wasting our money on expensive toys or clothes, or spoiling the lives of our children. A better way to enhance our lives is to slow down a bit, pay attention to what is going on around us, and to take action that makes sense – common sense. Someone back in the sixties said, "turn on, tune in, and drop out". We can use this useful phrase to make things better. "Turn on" can mean to become interested in life; don’t just sit by the roadside and watch life roll on by. "Tune in" can mean to pay attention and to understand what is going on around us. If it is good, then we want more of it; if it is bad, then we should change it. Finally, "drop out" can mean to get away from the crowd, go your own way. Do things that make sense to you.
Our bodies and minds respond best to moderate stimulation in all things. Too much stimulation in anything leads to a stressful life. It is better to slow down to a comfortable pace, to appreciate the natural beauty of the world around us, and to find the things in our lives that are really satisfying. If we base our happiness on over-stimulation in our work or entertainment we are on shaky ground. Choosing more comfortable work or quality entertainment will take away stress instead of creating it. Finding the good in the people around us will help us calm down and feel better. Less really is more!