Think Again

My favorite line from a Shakespeare play (or at least, the one I always remember) is "There is nothing either good or bad, but thinking makes it so." (That's from Hamlet)

There is nothing either good or bad. Thinking labels it one or the other. And who is doing this thinking? Me. Who is labeling things as good or bad? Me. And how have I been labeling things? Mostly as bad.

How could this possibly help me feel good?


What if there is nothing bad about your life? Does that change anything?

I know for me, just thinking about the idea that there is nothing wrong/bad about me, my life, my choices, my feelings, lets me off the hook. I get a rush of energy. I feel happier.

What do I get out of labeling things in my life as bad? I get to feel sorry for myself, I get to play the victim, I get to keep my heart closed. I get to feel bad. I'm just setting myself up to get hurt because nothing can feel good all the time, right? So why not just feel bad all of the time and spare myself the fall.

What are the costs of labeling my life as bad? I don't enjoy life. I have low energy. I don't experience love as fully as I want to. I FEEL BAD.

What if I choose to see everything as good? I have compassion for myself. I get to learn. I have high energy. I experience love just by breathing. I have deeper relationships. I laugh more. I FEEL GOOD.

It's a choice. It's neither good nor bad.

What are you choosing? On a scale of 1-10 (10 being high and 1 being low), how often do you choose to label your life, your choices, your actions as bad?

How does it feel to consider that maybe everything in your life, EVERYTHING is working for you? Everything is going as planned...maybe not what *you* planned, yet planned somehow with the best possible intentions for you.

What if there is a good reason for all of it that you aren't allowed to see? What if everything is an opportunity to learn? Is that something that might make life better?

I don't know if there is a good reason for anything, all I know is that when I choose to let go of labeling everything about myself and my life as bad, I feel better.

*That's* freedom.