The Good Ol’ Days Are Happening Right Now

I wish there was a way to know you’re in the good ol’ days before you’ve actually left them.

Andy Bernard from The Office

About eight years ago, I was having lunch with some friends and I told them that I don’t want to look back on the past and realize that I didn’t appreciate what I had. The “Good Ol’ Days” are happening right now, and here’s why.

The grass is not greener on the other side—it’s actually brown.

We tend to be fearful that we are missing out on something better, but we don’t actually know that something else is better. For example, rich, talented, and gorgeous celebrity couples claim that they are the happiest that they have ever been—and then, one month later, they file for divorce. Exhaustion, depression, and abuse are common in our culture. Do you really believe that the life of Mr. and Mrs. Jones is as perfect as they make it look like it is on social media?

The difficult days will be over soon.

I heard someone say that everyone is either going into a trial, going through a trial right now, or coming out of a trial. When I was feeling really down, my co-worker told me that life never stays the same. This won’t last forever. I didn’t believe her at the time, but she was right. And when I look back at the “Bad Ol’ Days”, I am grateful for them because those days made me stronger.

If we believe that these are the Good Ol’ Days, then they will be.

Take one small step to change your circumstances. Reach out to someone for help. We don’t have a magic wand that will change our circumstances, but the mind is a very powerful thing. If you cannot change your circumstances, you can change your perspective. Every morning when you wake up, think of twenty things that you are thankful for. If you feel like you need to reflect on something negative, go ahead and do it, but only do it for a few minutes. Start the timer. When the timer goes off, force your mind to think of something good and go do something else. Repeat this until your good thoughts far outnumber the bad thoughts.