Psychology: The Backwards Law
Suppose I tell you not to think of a pink elephant; what comes to mind? A pink elephant? Now, I tell you not to think of a particular situation as unfavorable, even though it was. What did you think of that situation? Like the latter, the elephant in the former example can give the perception as a negative thought or dissatisfaction. The idea that the “grass is always greener on the other side of the fence” can be detrimental to one’s mental well-being, and always wanting more can be misery’s best friend, and no one wants to be around that. In other words, if you’re always wanting to have a positive experience, chances are you are always seeing things negatively, which leads to wanting one because you may not have the perspective to experience one.
Instead, your perception becomes positive when you try to accept the negative experience. The idea is that the more you pursue feeling better all the time, the less satisfied you become, as seeking something reinforces the fact that you lack it in the first place. The more you anxiously want to be rich, the more poor and unworthy you feel, regardless of your annual income. The more you want to be better looking, the less attractive you think you are, regardless of your actual appearance. The more you desperately want to be loved, the more lonely you become, irrespective of who is around you. The more you strive to be spiritually enlightened, the more you become self-centered and shallow. The more you try to fight negative feelings, the more negative you become. Accepting reality and for what it is allows the opportunity for gratitude, and that can be the enemy of misery.