I saw an Arsenal fan interviewed on YouTube yesterday.
“Life is good” he gushed.
No surprise there. Arsenal are flying high at the top of the league. So if you’re a fan, there’s a pep in your step.
Interesting choice of words though.
Not “I’m buzzing right now”. Or “football’s great”.
But “life is good”.
Does this mean that if Arsenal were in the relegation zone, life wouldn’t be good?
I guess it does.
Don’t get me wrong. I know how much football means to fans.
But aligning your feelings to the results of your football team isn’t the way to live a free and happy life.
Why?
Because you’re giving your life experience to something outside your control. So whether or not you have a good day is determined by external factors.
Not just a good day, but a good life.
And if your happiness depends on external factors, it means you’ll never be happy by yourself. You’re always relying on something else.
Now, I’m not having a pop at football fans. I enjoy my football too.
It does make me feel good when my beloved Red Devils knock three goals past Liverpool.
And I am happy about this. I like having
events I can get a kick out of (if you’ll pardon the pun).
But not to the extent that “life is good” when Man Utd win a game.
It’s a step too
far.
I don’t rely on football results to live a happy life. I don’t need them to win to still feel good.
It’s the same with my morning coffee, going to a party or winning a few games of chess while I take a bubble bath.
These things bring joy. But there would be joy and happiness without them too. My happiness isn’t
conditional on them.
Even if the world is going to hell in a handbasket, I get to determine my life experience.
Key for me is this:
If I notice that my life experience is impacted too much by one thing, it’s a sign for me to look inwards.
Groucho Marx once said “I, not events, have the power to
make me happy or unhappy today. I shall choose which it shall be”.
Thanks G-Man. Couldn’t have said it better myself.
What do you think?
That’s it for today.
-
Tom
p.s. Whenever you're ready, here are the ways you can connect with me