Don't Worry About A Thing

I believe I have discovered the secret to happiness.  That doesn't mean that I practice it every day.  It's hard.  But here it is...you ready?  Practice selective memory loss.

Australia has just been named the world's happiest industrialized nation for the third year in a row according to the OECD (Organisation for Economic Cooperation and Development's) Better Life Index.  The United States finished sixth in the rankings.

I've met a lot of happy people in my lifetime.  But I've probably met just as many sad or depressed people. I've been both types and I think I've identified the differences between the two.  For one, happy people have the ability to truly shrug off things that don't matter.  Selective memory loss.  Aussies have two words for this, "no worries."  Yes, they may overuse it and make it more of a response like how we use the word "okay".  But, I believe there is merit to it.  If something goes wrong, no worries.  If you say something wrong or it comes off wrong, no worries.  If your day has been horrible and you snap at the cashier, no dramas. But here's the kicker, from that point on there really is no worries.  You have acknowledged it and now it's time to move on.  Done.

Imagine this the next time somebody says something to which you take offense.  No dramas. All of that energy you use to be angry and focus on how you were wronged can now be used in other areas.  I mean what's the point of being angry anyway?  Of course it helps that most Australians also live within an hour of a beach.  It is called the Lucky Country for a reason.

When you live close to this it's hard to not be happy. 

I'm mainly writing this for my benefit but hopefully some of you will read it for what it's worth.  Sometimes I find myself not wanting to forget when someone treats me poorly or says something stupid to me because I was wronged!  Wronged, I tell you! (That last statement has lots of reverb and an echo effect inside my head)

But there is no point to that train of thought.  Until I can achieve total enlightenment I'm trying a 'fake it till you make it' attitude towards being happier.  Saying "no worries" until I actually have no worries.  It doesn't make me stop being frustrated when the m20 bus says it's going to be there in 12 minutes and I wait but it never comes then I check again and it says another 12 minutes and now I'm going to be late.  Ugh, first world problems.  Oh well, no worries.  Hey, I do feel better.