4 Great Paradoxes of a Great Life–Explained

Everything is about perspective. The happiest people, the ones who are the most successful and the wealthiest just found ways to make the world work for them. A paradox is when 2 ideas seem to directly oppose each other, and yet can both be true.

The most common example is the phrase: Water, water everywhere, but not a drop to drink! It may seem contradictory, after all, how can you be surrounded by water and not be able to drink it? So is the case if you are stranded in a life boat in the middle of the ocean. This statement would then be true, and make sense.

As you’re reading these ideas, relax and let the concepts sink it. Don’t fight them if you don’t understand or don’t agree. Hopefully, it will end up expanding your thinking and help you further discover your authentic life.

#1 Be selfish, but always Put the other person first. This is what got me in thinking of this topic. On one hand, I feel that it is most important to make yourself happy first because you can’t rely on others to do it for you. HOWEVER, that doesn’t mean that I can’t make another feel good too. That is my understanding of this paradox. Overall, I hope to get to a place where I can be happy, no matter what, AND because of that others are happy around me. After all, it is so much nicer to be around someone who is joyful and content, rather than resentful or frustrated. So feel free to put your happiness first. When you are happy, you’re a great role model for those around you.

#2 Live in the moment, but Focus on your future. This is another one that has been rolling around in my head. I have noticed there are two crowds teaching the LoA, and they’re either saying to live in the moment and enjoy what is in front of you, or that you should focus on where you want to go, not where you are. So which statement is true? Well, both. The key to understanding this paradox is the underlying fact that you need to follow your feelings. Yes, enjoy the moment. Feel really good about where you are, while knowing that you’re headed in the right direction. If you don’t feel good about the moment, then view it as a small section of time in your life, focus on the small amount of good, and put the rest of your energy into aligning with how you will feel once you have manifested your dream life.

#3 Fake it to make it, but Be Authentic. This was something one of my mentors wrote about on her own blog and I loved it! I could help but add this one to my list. I have been an advocate for “fake it til you make it,” but only under certain circumstances. So how do you know when to fake it, and how can you still be authentic? The secret is all in knowing why. What do you want to be the outcome? That is, if you want to be successful in business, but are struggling, what do you want? You want to be successful. This is a great example for when you should fake it! Start by creating an office space that commands respect and says “Successful.” Then dress the part. The confidence will slowly follow, and so will the increase in business. By being clear on what you want, you can “fake it” but be authentic. I’m not saying that you should buy an office building, spend lots of money and jet around the world, because that’s what successful people do. Start slow and identify the core idea of success for you. Personally, I never want an office building and I really don’t want to jet around the world speaking at conferences. So that kind of “faking” would be inauthentic, even thought I might end up successful.

#4 Find joy in life by Embracing anger and resentment. This comes from one of my favorite all time paradoxes: No two things can occupy the same space at the same time. It’s impossible to be happy when you’re angry or upset, so pretending to be happy, pushing it down or faking won’t do anything but aggravate you. There is also a false understanding of happiness. Being happy doesn’t mean you don’t get mad. You can experience the entire range of emotions and still be happy. Being joyful means a couple of things: a) you have a trusting in the universe that things will work out (takes the pressure off you having to ‘control’ everything) b) you don’t take things too seriously c) you bounce back easily from disappointments (due to the first 2). Which means you can feel the anger, be disappointed, hate someone, want to throw something…and then recover quickly. Embrace the feeling instead of fighting it. You won’t have to fight it, it won’t hang around as long, and you’ll be a lot happier. Everything is about perspective. The happiest people,the ones who are the most successful and the wealthiest just found ways to make the world work for them, rather than feeling like it’s against them.

These are ideas that will help you find happiness, if you just embrace them., rather than feeling like it’s against them.

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