I always believed that fulfilling my dreams would bring me unlimited happiness.

I believed that if only I could do the impossible… I could be happy.

There was always a condition surrounding happiness.

There was always something that I had to get done so I could unlock the bigger door and walk up more stairs…

….so I could climb higher and find the home of Happiness.

You see I was running away from loss. 

So I climbed.

I reached.

I unlocked. I made my dreams come true. Some of them were close to impossible. But I achieved them.

And then I gasped…

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You see I did not find happiness living in that big home, at the top floor behind the big door.

It was someone else’s house.

At first I really thought happiness lived there because I felt so good arriving to the top floor and the views were magnificent.

The home had these huge windows and the world was at my feet.

I slept there for a while.

I waited for happiness to join me for breakfast, lunch or dinner.

But she didn’t come.

But I still truly believed that was her home.

As the days went by I no longer looked at the views. I no longer had time to admire my big house.

I was so busy trying to get to the floor above as I had convinced myself that Happiness must be on a higher floor. Maybe I had to work harder and try and get up there.

After months of working really hard I finally got to the floor above.

This floor too was magnificent but Happiness still nowhere to be found.

And that is when it hit me.

And it hit me hard.

I was aiming so high.

I was working so hard and was so determined that I passed happiness along the way to the top floor and did not notice her.

I was so busy climbing as far away from loss that happiness could not keep up with me.  She stayed a few floors down.

She wanted to join me up there but I was not going on happiness speed. 

I was on a speed outside of life’s maximum dial. In that speed however high you climb the only friend who joins you is stress. 

And stress loves acceleration and high floors.

So when I realized that I left happiness on the floors below I started going down, slowly…enjoying the view. Looking for my happiness at her speed.

Slow but methodical.

I found her waiting for me a few floors down.

Calm.

All knowing.

And so peaceful.

On our way up she told me that when people go through devastating losses they get these super powers that can indeed make all of their dreams come true.

But at first they can’t control their speed and they get carried away with working hard. 

As time goes by not only do they learn that they can do the impossible but that they also don’t need to work too hard and drive so fast to get there.

So if you are someone who has been working so hard to start over and you have been driving at that very fast speed I am going to ask you to slow down.

Turn around.

And look for all the wonderful things that you are leaving behind.

Make sure that you are not rooming with stress.

And remember that you won’t lose your superpowers or the top floor if you go up the stairs one step at a time.

With calm,

Christina

PS. Today we launched our brand new site.

I hope you love it. Let me know what you think on the comments below and whether you are climbing down your top floor looking for your happiness.

www.secondfirsts.com

 

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Christina

Christina

Christina Rasmussen is an author, speaker and social entrepreneur who believes that grief is an evolutionary experience required for launching a life of adventure and creative accomplishment.

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7 Comments

  • Patty says:

    Wonderful message, Christina! I love the new look of the website and your beautiful photo, and yes, I’m climbing down to find my happiness. I recently got myself out of a couple of responsibilities that I really didn’t need to do and which were adding to my stress level. Ahhh! I immediately started to feel calmer.

  • Carole Allan says:

    So true. Descending the stairs to find the happiness place was right there at the beginning of the climb. Right here in the moment. Blessings, Christina! On another note, hope you saw the story about the mysterious priest who appeared ate an accident site in Missouri. A real miracle!

  • Lisa W says:

    Its all beautiful, Christina! And when we practice love we find joy and happiness. When we practice fear we find suffering. When we give to others in simple, open love, we heal and life begins to unfold in miraculous ways. You are love Christina and you bring joy to those who know you each and every day. And we send that joy right back to you! Love, L

  • Erin McRaven says:

    The site is breath-taking!
    I must say…. the STRESS I am “Rooming with” is my over-thinking, over-protective, totally unsupported of me because she is transferring how badly SHE was raised without support MOTHER, who is only too glad to see me loose everything, because she doesn’t think I should have had my own home anyway. She has even ADMITTED to me how jealous she is of me. And, I wonder if the negativity is part of why my dream died. I WAS happy, withOUT over-achieving. So, what the hell do I do NOW, while I’m FORCED to be dependent on her!!! PLEASE HELP!!!!!!!!!!!!!

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