Cut Down on the Chores You Hate If You Want a Happier Life!

Are you resentful of life? Then, just for the fun of it, examine yourself. Do these thoughts turn about in your mind?:

"It is not logical to expect a merry life; I am truly in the world of maturity now, and I must strip all fancy from my view of what surrounds me."

"This situation is enough for me; I feel thankful for what I have, and I would accept no substitute for my lot, among loving friends and family."

If such feelings stir within you, then you are normal, the possessor of a mature mind that has leapt past the stage of childhood... though you sometimes allow yourself to drift with the current of dreams, imagining abundant money and wide fame and a distinguished position — but all these are foam floating on the surface of the deep ocean of your soul, without troubling the solid philosophy beneath.

And yet, despite the psychological sermons and the deep view of living, you sometimes feel cheated; and though you do not ask for perfection, your intuition pictures for you a happiness that can be won even within this situation — but where is the way?

Here is a plan for you to follow over the course of a week; it will raise the level of your spirits and help your optimism along:

Monday: Review your tasks, and consider whether you can cut down the tasks you loathe. Here is a wife consulting the psychiatrist one last time before deciding on divorce: "I truly love him, but I cannot face the thought of being tied to housework all my life."

The doctor asked her which of those tasks she hated, and she answered: "All of them — except tidying and cleaning the house, for it pleases me to see it bright and cheerful."

Here he seized the moment of her confiding, drew out her opinion, and discovered that she loathed cooking and washing dishes; and he advised her to lighten these two tasks, however impossible that seemed at first.

Go back over your daily list honestly, and try to lighten what you hate; and the smallness of these annoyances that have stood as a stumbling block in your path will become plain to you.

Tuesday: Examine your tools, whether at the office or in the kitchen; for these, without your knowing it, wear on your nerves and stir up your loathing —

so why not avoid it?

Wednesday: Give yourself some pleasure and contentment. I know a lady, successful in practical life, who complains endlessly that she cannot be satisfied with her present situation, since she gets only one month of holiday out of a year of exhaustion. This looks like an extreme; better that a person allow himself a little pleasure and ease from time to time.

Thursday: Swear that you will not withdraw into a corner to finger your pain and your deprivation. Do not allow yourself this pleasure of pain, whose current sweeps away the timid; and think of the circle around you, and of its effect on those you live with. If you want to be happy, try to reduce the frequency of these tempting states of mind.

Friday: Resolve to create something new every day. If you look for the happiest person among your acquaintances, you will find that he is forever inventing something new. Helping others to grow is the shortest road to happiness — no matter whether it be planting a garden, writing an article, or working in society.

Saturday: Stop criticizing others and watching their conduct. Then search out the cause of your despair of life — is it illness, or a misfortune you could not bear?...

Someone's behavior may not please you; but we cannot forever expect only kindnesses, and meet only what pleases us. And remember that every person feels lonely and deprived at times. It is easy for you to adopt this philosophy, which stands as a barrier between you and bitter pain, once you consider that however disgraceful your friend's conduct may seem, it is, for her, the soundest course she can take. And the more your criticism of others grows, the thicker grows the barrier between you and happiness.

Sunday: Spend a portion of your time on yourself — today and every day. If you are incapable of performing this task — that is, of remaining alone for a spell — you cannot reach the goal of life, which is contentment; for a person cannot hope to fit himself to others if he is not at peace with himself.

Do not run away from these hours you spend in solitude; welcome them and use them — for the only way to fight the fear of loneliness is to learn to accept these interludes as a gift whose value grows each time the world moves a step forward!