I offered the following happiness advice to two of my clients who are strong believers in God. They came from different backgrounds, one being Christian and the other Hindu. Without delving into which religion is right or wrong, since all religions are fundamentally based on love and happiness, my advice is universal and can apply to any religion as long as you believe in God, their love, and their plan for you.
God has a plan for you, and even if things may not seem to be going perfectly in your life, they are still following God’s plan, which we often don’t fully see or understand. In fact, for people who are really struggling in life, who are born into bad life circumstances, or inherit them as they go along in life, they are still following God’s plan.
God wishes that these individuals live through these hardships, suffer through them, and overcome respective challenges, all the while learning an important lesson: God is always offers us love and wishes us happiness.
In fact, people who have it too “easy” are those who have the least to prove and the most to lose in terms of love from God, as they can easily become complacent, relaxed, and prone to “sinning” (going against God’s wishes). They may be enjoying an easier life as some sort of reward by God, but at the same time, they can still easily do everything wrong and receive the worst punishments in their afterlife (next life).
To this extent, I remember a piece of advice I received from a holy man who said that we should not look at the lives of everyone else, as they are also living in accordance with God’s plan. By doing so, we justify injustices and social disparities as something that God intended for us in order to judge us better.
Therefore, versions of “heaven” and “hell” exist in every religion. Maybe we will go there later, have been there before, or are there right now. What’s important is our current choice of how we accept whatever happens around us as something that God willed for us and for others. We need to accept our circumstances and those of others, continuing our lives while allowing others to do the same.
Furthermore, when we want to go left but God wants us to go right, this may result in conflict and negativity, leading to unhappiness as long as we resist God’s plan.
For instance, if we get fired from our job, perhaps that path has come to an end, and God now wants us to embark on a new direction. Maybe there is even a better job waiting around the corner, but we need to let go of the previous job to realize this opportunity. Or perhaps, the current job has served its purpose, and now we need to move beyond our comfort zone and acquire new life skills that will lead us to new adventures.
So instead of crying, staying unhappy, and blaming the world for being unfair, we can choose to accept whatever happens, whether good or bad, as something that needed to happen exactly as it did.
By doing so, we release the additional tension of negative thinking and focus on taking the necessary steps to create a new reality. In turn, we can feel happy regardless of what is happening around us, trusting that these things had to happen as they happened, so there is nothing else to do but enjoy the love of God, as a form of spiritual massage that God gives sometimes with a light or heavy hand.
We still need to do something, but realistically, it isn’t as hard or as important as trusting God. We still need to try to live our best lives and give our absolute best effort in any circumstance to make the most of our situation, whatever it may be.
This can be achieved regardless of one’s religious background by applying some simple problem-solving skills:
1. Identify the problem.
2. Propose a solution.
3. Implement the solution, by doing our best in every circumstance.
4. If the solution does not work, revisit step 2.
5. Repeat this process until the issue is resolved.
6. Relax and be happy.
This last point, “relax and be happy,” is especially important, even if we don’t yet have ultimate solutions to our problems because firstly there will always be more problems to tackle.
Secondly, because we have already done everything we could to solve our issues, so we just need to wait for things to play out without overthinking over results, as it is wasteful. We just need to trust ourselves, because we did our best, and God, because of their plan, and focus our attention on something else that needs to be done, as there is always something else to do.
In my personal life, I broke my leg three different times in three different ways. Arguably, it was never the same situation, so I could never have anticipated or prepared for these events. However, I was never discouraged by these setbacks, as I always trusted God’s plan and did my best in each situation.
I told myself that perhaps my active lifestyle was being moderated by hospitalization to prevent me from engaging in something even more dangerous or reckless. Or maybe God was guiding me to be in a specific place and time, and that was the way I was meant to get there. In the end, I went through the above-described steps and had the best possible recovery. Even my surgeon was surprised that I could still run, do heavy lifting in the gym, and even roller-skate.
As such, if you trust God’s plan and always do your best, you will have the best life possible. God will guide you towards the path you need to be on, so you just need to relax and accept their plan in any way it may come. By doing so, you will have the best life possible, and your happiness will be guaranteed regardless of what may come.
Lastly, God puts certain people, blog posts, and opportunities in front of you so since you are here, who knows, maybe we were meant to meet. If so, you can further familiarize yourself with Optimal Happiness content or contact me for a free 30-minute call where we can meet and potentially discuss your life, happiness, and any challenges you may be facing.
11 thoughts on “Trust in God’s Plan: Don’t Stress, Relax, and Be Happy”
Good morning! Your insights are always a pleasure to read. As expected, your latest work is yet another masterpiece. Your concise and valuable thoughts serve as a great reminder of the intrinsic power of law and trust. Thank you for sharing your wisdom with us.
Thank you for your kind words once again. They are always welcome and never too much. Please keep them coming, as every writer is inspired by people like you who share kind words and appreciation for their work.
This is exactly what I have been experiencing lately. It’s amazing how life can unfold at times 🌹
Exactly, the best way to lead our lives is by experiencing it in the moment, moment by moment. While we still need to consider certain things, I prefer to let my subconscious mind work it out for me while I savor life. Whether it’s playing, working, or relaxing, it may appear that I’m thinking about things, but in truth, I am fully immersed in the experience as well.
I totally agree with you, God does have a plan for us. Sometimes for me, just sitting in the still and silence, his desires for me are made known.
Totally 100% agreed! I’d add that our intentions still matter, as this is how God sees our desires and acts on them. In this way, I always say that we need to state what we want in positive, rather than saying what we don’t want. For example, I don’t want problems in my life, but this isn’t necessarily a way to ask for a fabulous and exciting life. Instead, we should go straight to the source and ask for that fabulous and exciting life if we really want it.
I found your blog by a stroke of luck when you “liked” one of my posts and I clicked into your account. I have a client who has been struggling with this very issue, and since my spiritual framework is different from hers, I haven’t known how to help her with this dilemma while still staying true to her beliefs. Your post was incredibly helpful in realizing what she might need to hear. thank you!!
Thank you, Quinn, for your encouragement! Indeed, the question of spirituality is indeed deeply personal and can vary greatly from person to person, even within the same religion. In light of this, I find it helpful to consider spirituality in terms of its overarching themes, such as the beliefs that “all religions are fundamentally based on love and happiness” and “God has a plan for you.” With these general concepts in mind, we as coaches can engage in meaningful conversations about this vital and personal topic with virtually anyone.
Hi Roman, thanks for your response. I agree, and somehow I got stuck on the “how do I know if I’m following God’s plan?” question, causing her to feel paralyzed and afraid to take any step forward for fear it would be the “wrong” one. I could approach this from my own sort of eastern philosophy point of view but wasn’t sure it would speak to her in a way that was useful. the way the issue is framed in your article is much more helpful I think. thanks again. :)
Great question! My personal approach to this is to take a few steps, any steps, to test the waters, so to speak. This initial feedback may be positive or negative, but it is valuable information. Prior to taking any action, you may have been stuck in analysis paralysis, speculating about various outcomes. Now, you have something concrete to build your case upon. The trial and error process may take some time, but eventually, you will see the winning path. Interestingly, the more you engage in doing, the more skilled you become at understanding which direction to take before you even start. Over time, by repeatedly performing a task, you gather feedback and gain a better understanding of what is required to win.
I also believe in the value of seeking assistance from professionals who have expertise in getting things off the ground. They possess a winning formula that has been honed over the years. Personally, the parts on my life where I see the most success are these where there was some form of coaching, while my less successful endeavors are usually the result of me trying to figure things out on my own.
In conclusion, the winning formula appears to be taking action without overthinking it, diving in before your mind creates doubts and “what if” scenarios. By doing so, we can trust that God will guide our efforts. While God can provide assistance, it is often those who take initiative and help themselves that tend to receive the most Gods support.
great feedback, Roman. thanks so much. :)