Life is 50/50… 50% + and 50% -

Life is 50/50.

50% of the time our brains will react to our circumstances and feel bad.

And 50% of the time our brains will react to our circumstances and feel good.

I learned the concept from my life coach Brooke Castillo, and kinda questioned it.  Life is half good, half bad, half positive & half negative.  I like to consider myself an optimist & this concept made me question how you could be optimistic if life was always good and bad.

But I learned to see this principle in a different way and it’s kind of a relief.

Life is supposed to be full of contrast and this allows for realistic expectations of happiness and life.

Also, no two people experience the 50/50 in the same way even with the same set of circumstances.  This makes it understandable that we may have very different feelings than our spouse or kids do about the same situation.

Knowing this brings some peace when raising teenagers, because it is part of growing up when they seem bored and frustrated, lonely, and sad sometimes.

And the best thing for kids to learn is that this is normal and nothing has gone wrong.

Of course, there are times when these kids are truly experiencing depression and anxiety that need to be handled professionally & that’s a whole other conversation for another day.

Unfortunately, Instagram and TikTok make us feel that life should be 80% happy and 20% negative but that’s not reality.
All we need to do is scroll and see that someone always seems happier, is always accomplishing more and what we make this mean often makes us feel even worse.

And as moms it’s so normal to want our kids to be happy all the time, but a gift we can give them is to allow them to just be.  Sometimes we sit in the sadness with them, and sometimes we sit with them, and just allow them to be sad.

This concept does not mean that life is simply meant to be endured.

Life is meant for growth and purpose.  Life is meant to be full of adventure.  Life is meant to include both joy and sadness.

I do believe that in seeking purpose, growth and adventure you will tip the scales to more happiness & fulfillment.

This is what life coaching is about… learning skills for personal growth & mental wellness and tipping the scales in your life towards positivity, more joy, more content & discovering how much power you have in creating it.  

Stay tuned for much more on this subject, because there’s a lot more to say and consider.