Shiny

You are not your mind.

The mind constantly feeds you with feelings and emotions. It is up to your conscience to decide which of these feelings and emotions to act on.

At times, it seems impossible to not let your feelings and emotions control every move you make. Those who give in to these feelings and emotions have lost control of the self. They are unable to separate the self from the mind.

I go through phases where I feel enchained by my feelings and emotions. I lose track of what I really care about because I am caught in the moment seeking pleasure.

“The very thing that gives you pleasure today will give you pain tomorrow, or it will leave you, so its absence will give you pain.”

Feelings and emotions that make your eyes widen usually come from the possibility of instant pleasure. This shiny object syndrome causes you to become infatuated with the thing that is driving your emotion.

Letting yourself become infatuated causes you to lose track of yourself. You start to value the possibility of attaining instant pleasure more than you value your own lasting joy, which, in my eyes, is what everyone is truly looking for.

You think you want instant pleasure, but you don’t want the pain that comes with it. You chase the highs, but don’t anticipate the lows that will come after.

I often find myself chasing the highs, experiencing the best of them, then settling for whatever they bring next because I am afraid to deal with the pain that needs to take place to escape.

WITH EVERY UP, THERE IS A DOWN.

It is similar to risk and reward: the higher the reward, the higher the risk.

The more intense feeling of pleasure is usually attributed with a tougher low. Meanwhile, a lower sustained high (also called lasting joy) is linked to less intense lows.

Remember what you are chasing.

If temporary pleasure is what you desire, prepare to face the pain that comes with it.

Value yourself more and chase what is best for you and will keep you happiest the longest, and keep pain at a distance.