Theory: Few things have intrinsic power. Most things only have as much power as we allow them to have. Giving away your power to externals leads to unhappiness.
I’ve had my share of addictions – cigarettes, alcohol, sugar, eating, not eating. At the time it seemed that each of these things had uncontrollable power over me. But they only had that power because I allowed it. At any time I could have decided; enough. I am reclaiming my power.
Every day countless people give away their power to externalities – their boss, their partner, food, body image, material possessions. How often do we think, “I’ll be happy when I get the promotion / lose ten pounds / get a new car” or “I’m miserable, and it’s all the fault of my partner / lack of money / weight”?
It doesn’t have to be this way. Things are only annoying, depressing or irritating for as long as we allow them that headspace. Happiness doesn’t have to wait for tomorrow, or depend on something outside of ourselves. We can be happy right here, right now – all we have to do is to allow ourselves to be. It’s that simple, and that difficult.