Happiness

It weird the power that your mind and your heart have. I think I tend to neglect to give myself credit where credit is due.
I know that I have the ability to move on and let go of the things that are dragging me down. I have pin pointed the problem spots that are mucking up my whole outlook on life around me. I know what I have to do to move on and let go. I've committed myself to trying to be happy. Its surprising at how quickly life improves JUST with making that decision. We have to let ourselves be happy. There is no point in sitting around and waiting for someone to make us happy. I know that there are only two people who have the power and potential to make me happy. Those two people are: Me and Jesus Christ. It all lays on my shoulders. I can't expect Christ to just lay his hand on mine and make me happy without an effort from me. I have to open myself up and hand him my pain. I haven't truly done anything like that in what feels like years. I always tell people that they should turn to Christ and that they can only change themselves. But I've been spending so much time and put forth so much effort into changing other people so that they will be in accordance with my happiness. I know that that is the wrong way to go about life. Maybe those changes that I helped them make really did or will make them happy. If they do, then I couldn't be more grateful and touched. But, I am realizing that there isn't enough time to spend hoping, molding, shaping, forcing, willing or even praying that someone will change for the better. While all that seems noble enough, and hey, maybe it is; we need to spend that time living our own lives, shaping our own hearts and praying for our own futures. I have spent way too much time idolizing the past and ignoring the present while fearing the future. It feels so good to finally have let all of that go or at least decided to start letting it all go. I have so many things I want to accomplish. I cannot afford to waste time dwelling on things that aren't in the cards anymore. Friendship and family. Art and writing. Smiling and laughing. Planning and living in the moment. Those are the things that I want to focus on now.

The past isn't meant to be relived, its meant to be cherished.
The present isn't meant to be ignored, its here for us to live.
The future isn't supposed to be looming, its supposed to be anxiously awaiting us.

Live is meant to be lived, not endured.