Life is simply as it is. Perhaps Benjamin Franklin said it best： “Our limited perspective， our hopes and fears become our measure of life， and when circumstances don’t fit our ideas， they become our difficulties.” We spend our lives wanting things，people， and events to be just as we want them to be—and when they’re not， we fight and we suffer.
The first step in recovering from over seriousness is to admit that you have a problem. You have to want to change， to become more easygoing. You have to see that your own uptightness is largely of your own creation—it’s composed of the way you have set up your life and the way you react to it.
The next step is to understand the link between your expectations and your frustration level. Whenever you expect something to be a certain way and it isn’t， you’re upset and you suffer. On the other hand， when you let go of your expectations， when you accept life as it is， you’re free. To hold on is to be serious and uptight. To let go is to lighten up.
A good exercise is to try to approach a single day without expectations. Don’t expect people to be friendly. Don’t expect your day to be problem free. Instead， as problems come up， say to yourself， “Ah， another hurdle to overcome.” As you approach your day in this manner you’ll notice how graceful life can be. Rather than fighting against life， you’ll be dancing with it. Pretty soon， with practice， you’ll lighten up your entire life. And when you lighten up， life is a lot more fun.
最近這段時間，我們所有人看起來似乎都有些過於嚴肅。我的大女兒時不時地對我說：“爸，瞧你又板著臉了。”即使是我們當中那些刻意樂觀的人，恐怕也是太過嚴肅了。任何一件小事都可以讓我們沮喪、惱火——自己遲到了5分鍾，別人晚到了5分鍾，交通堵塞，別人誤解了我們或者說錯了什麽，支付賬單，排隊，燒糊了一頓飯，犯了一個實實在在的錯誤——不計其數。生活真的就是這樣的小事都能讓我們方寸大亂。