The Power of Positive Thinking is Cool and All, but it Ultimately Doesn't Work

Do you know what the single biggest contributing factor is to finding true and lasting happiness?

Do you sometimes feel as though other people’s lives are more amazing than your own?

Or do you ever catch yourself assuming that most people are happy—or at least happier than you are? “Wow, it sure seems like so-and-so is doing really well,” we tell ourselves, or, “I kind of wish my life was more like (insert any number of people you connect with and follow on social media).”

I’m guessing that if you can’t relate to those thoughts then you’re probably not on social media much. In which case, well done. You’re way ahead of the rest of us. Stay on that path! (a path I’m on right now, and who knows how long I’ll stay, lol

But if you are on social media with some degree of regularity then you probably can relate. Yet that’s kind of how the whole game is designed, isn’t it? I mean, most people, most of the time, share only the bright shiny happy parts of their lives on the internet. The trips we take. The parties we attend. The new outfit we rock. The promotion we received. The new relationships we’re thrilled about. New car, new house, new job, new baby, and so on. So as we scroll through our Instagram feed or peruse our Facebook page we end up seeing snapshots of the best parts of other people’s lives.

Now, of course you’re not naive. You know that no one’s life is perfect. You’re aware that everyone struggles. You’re even fully tuned in to the reality that most of what you see online is carefully curated to reflect a very specific image that others want us to see. Specifically, an image of success and happiness.

But here’s the thing: while we might know this on a deep level,