“I have one more question…” The young woman with her black baseball cap looks at Esther Hicks with a questioning gaze during a two-day workshop. Esther nods and the young woman takes a deep breath. “Am I ok?” A murmur goes through the 2,000 spectators in the Gashouder in Amsterdam as tears fill the young woman’s eyes. “Be more specific,” Esther Hicks responds. The young woman is unsure of how to answer. “I mean in relation to what or whom? Be more specific about why you think you might not be okay,” Esther Hicks requests.
Have you ever had such a thought? “Am I ok?” Let me give you one or two helpful thoughts about it.
First, I want to pass on Esther’s question to you. In relation to what or whom? To feel “not okay,” you have to compare yourself to something or someone. Who are you comparing yourself to, and what does it benefit you to make this comparison? And what do you think you would have if you reached this goal (assuming the goal is even attainable)? Do you know for sure that you would be happy for the rest of your life? My guess and experience tell you a clear no. You don’t believe me? Have you ever received a salary increase in the past or given yourself one? Did it lead to being happy for the rest of your life? Or were you at a similar point a few weeks or months later? Because your standard of living has adapted quickly, and thus the important salary increase was not the be-all and end-all.
So, do you believe in permanent happiness? Or is life a journey with many ups and some downs?
I have one more impulse. Choose to be happier with yourself from this moment on. Because you cannot wait until life isn´t hard anymore before you decide to be happy. Life is the result of your way of thinking, feeling, and acting. Therefore, believing in yourself is the most important step in starting a new ball rolling. As Esther Hicks puts it: suffering is not the way to satisfaction.
When will you start on your new path? A path where you feel okay? A path where you live more satisfied? Will you start today, tomorrow, or the day following tomorrow? Decide. However, this decision will cost you something. You have to let go of the old you so that you have two free hands for the new you. You can do it. I believe in you.
