Being Happy Vs. Being Right

“I hope you choose being happy over being right.”

This was the last thing one of the counselors said to me as I was leaving rehab, nealry 9 years ago. 

Such great advice!  Some of the best advice I’ve ever knowingly received. 

Wanna know what’s REALLY funny?  When I first heard it, I rolled my eyes.  I may have even scoffed, perhaps to myself or outwardly, I’m not entirely sure.  Upon leaving I shared these same words with others with a giggle and some commentary that went something like, “that’s advice you can expect to get from someone who clearly isn’t used to being right.”  🤦‍♀️

RIght now, I’m laughing at my own naivete. 😂

I was so deeply entrenched in a system of thought that made being right the most important thing one could achieve. My allegiance was so deeply rooted in being right that I was completely willing to forgo my own happiness to achieve it.  

Does that sound crazy, narcissistic, a recipe for misery, or familiar?

Today, I’m surrendering the need to be right and I’m 100% willing to choose being happy.

I’m so committed to being happy that I’m willing to not NEED to be right, at all.  I still often am, don’t get me wrong (😉) but I don’t need to shove it down your throat.  In fact, I’m totally content in sharing my opinion and leaving you to have yours, amicably.  

I don’t need to convince you of my rightness, my wisdom, my excellence, my goodness,  my intelligence, or anything else.  And anytime I feel the need to do any of those things, I know I have my own inner work to do to heal whatever misconception or misgiving is beneath it. 

It is my sincere desire to continue giving up every last thread of these tendencies that fuel my need to be right because they rattle my own sweet serenity, peace, and joy.  They distract me from my bigger goals and mission in life.  They leave me playing tit-for-tat when what I really wanna play is a version of happy feet.

Being right is something my ego LOVES.  Being happy is something my heart and my soul NEEDS.

Interestingly enough, we can train for it.  There’s 40,000 neurons that surround your heart and you can use it to balance your mind, resource your brain, and restore a state of health to every cell of your magnificent body.  In fact, it’s so powerful it’s been called the “heart brain” because it’s impact is rather extraordinary and profoundly fascinating. 

And so as I reflect on that advice given to me, I recognize that it is truly priceless.  It was worth the $50K+ I paid for it.  And here I am, sharing it with you, freely, in the hopes that you will also choose happiness over being right.  

Choosing to be happy will serve you for your lifetime whereas being right serves you for mere moments, if at all.  

With great love for you and a sincere desire for you to live a beautiful life, I hope you choose wisely.

Want help making the shift?  Book a call: https://calendly.com/tamiberry/discovery-call

#NeuroResilience #ThoughtWork #Happy #DrTamiBerry

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