External Solutions and Addiction

Before you can break out of prison, you must realize you are locked up.”  — Author Unknown

 

We all seek out happiness and harmony in our life.

Yet sometimes there is a void that we seek to fill.... something appears to be missing. 

 Instead of attempting to understand or comprehend  why we feel the way we do..... and look for answers and solutions within ourselves, some of us attempt to fill our voids in other ways.

External Ways.

"External Solutions" are those things we desire and latch on to because we believe we need them to make us feel better about ourselves and our life.   We believe that the activity or the material item will make us happier and fill the void we have.

Some people seek out activities that are gratifying,  invigorating, exciting and even dangerous in order to fill their void -- drugs,  alcohol, gambling, shopping, eating  and smoking are a few examples ........

Things that, for the moment, serve to bring us to a happier place and make us forget and feel better about our self.  Don't get me wrong--we all indulge in things we like on occasion, but a good rule of thumb is every thing in moderation, right?

Everything from food, alcohol, shopping, drugs,  sex, gambling,  cigarettes and other "not so healthy" activities are all examples of External Solutions that, if allowed to spiral out of control,  can harm us, both physically and mentally.

Consumer marketing feeds off of our perceived need for External Solutions.  The nicer car, the bigger house, the newest gadget are all External Solutions that we believe will make us happier (and it may work for a while) but the reality is that happiness is simply an internal state of mind. 

 

Our happiness depends on the habit of mind we cultivate. So practice happy thinking every day. Cultivate the merry heart, develop the happiness habit, and life will become a continual feast.  Norman Vincent Peale

 

 

Bad habits or addictions over time can affect the way we look, our finances, our relationships and our professional life.  Some people are able to deal with External Solution issues themselves, while others may need assistance to kick their bad habits or addiction. 

 

Either way, if you have a bad habit or an addiction, step one is to recognize that you have it---step two is to devise a plan to address it.  

 

Never forget ----true happiness comes from within ----and YOU are in control  of the vehicle!

 

We are who we are because of three things,

the choices we make,

the habits we keep and

the disciplines we have.   

Ricardo Housham