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.
最近这段时间，我们所有人看起来似乎都有些过于严肃。我的大女儿时不时地对我说：“爸，瞧你又板着脸了。”即使是我们当中那些刻意乐观的人，恐怕也是太过严肃了。任何一件小事都可以让我们沮丧、恼火——自己迟到了5分钟，别人晚到了5分钟，交通堵塞，别人误解了我们或者说错了什么，支付账单，排队，烧煳了一顿饭，犯了一个实实在在的错误——不计其数。生活真的就是这样的小事都能让我们方寸大乱。