The Happy Challenge - Ep. 445

The Happy Challenge is trying to keep your cool when someone else is running hot,
It’s not for the idle player, you have to be ready to take charge of your own fate,
The one thing each of us has is the ability to choose how we face the life we’ve got,
Do we let it run us? Or do we take control and decide whether we show love or hate?

[full text below]

Ep. 445 - The Happy Challenge

We begin as always 
with the Happy Creed.

We believe in Happy, 
in Balance and Growth, 
of being Mindful and Grateful,
Compassionate and Understanding.

Yowza
Haha
My Happy Friends!

One of the greatest tricks you can learn is how to stay calm when things get wild,
And even simply knowing this trick, doesn’t mean you can always pull it off,
Like anything, it takes practice and intention, you need to be mindful to be so mild,
Because the ability to not take things personally is a superpower--so don’t scoff.

I’m not even saying I can do it all the time, I try--for sure, but I sometimes slip,
I prepare myself for, say, driving by accepting that there will be challenges in store,
Not just maybe, but to expect them with my plans in place before I start my trip,
That way the inevitable difficulties arrive as predicted and I can avoid a war.

I come off as rather silly, high energy--someone you’d never think of as being Mean,
But that’s intentional for I know that even a single bad mood can be destructive,
Especially if that’s someone’s first impression of you--not exactly peachy keen!
And even if no one’s around, bad moods tend to be highly reproductive.

So, here’s a challenge for you--the next time someone is Mean to you, be Nice,
I know you won’t want to--they cut you off, they were disrespectful and rude, 
Are you supposed to just get pushed around? Forget it, pal! No dice!
People can’t just go through life thinking they can give you attitude!

But that’s exactly the whole mindset I’m trying to address here, don’t you see?
Part of the Meanness you attribute to them is actually just a guess on your part,
They might not’ve even noticed you, and were just trying to avoid a bumble bee,
But since the world revolves around you, of course you take everything to heart.

So, maybe it’s better to start small,
Take note of people acting carelessly, but don’t engage,
Start a running count--try to collect them all!
Make it into a little game instead of flying into a rage.

Then build on that practice so that the next time you encounter trouble
You can be ready, you can almost expect it, so it doesn’t turn into a fight,
You’re not the only one who can take things personally--not to burst your bubble,
Are they striving for Balance and Growth? Are they Happy? Or hurt, and filled with spite?

Can you be Nice in the face of someone Mean?
Is it too much to ask? The hardest task you’ve ever seen?
Conversely, have you been Mean in the presence of someone Nice?
It’s okay, I have too, I just try not to do it twice.

The Happy Challenge is trying to keep your cool when someone else is running hot,
It’s not for the idle player, you have to be ready to take charge of your own fate,
The one thing each of us has is the ability to choose how we face the life we’ve got,
Do we let it run us? Or do we take control and decide whether we show love or hate?

Haha
Yowza