Your Days are Your Life in Miniature In her New York Times Bestseller, The Happiness Project, Gretchen Rubin writes, “What you do every day matters more than what you do once in a while.” For many – maybe most – people happiness is something that they view as coming in bursts connected with something enjoyable they do or experience. For example, you … Continue reading “Your Days are Your Life in Miniature”
Stop Being Other People’s Donkey and Be Happy Do you want to keep everyone happy? Are you one of those people who keep taking on more tasks just because people ask you to? This article is for you. Nobody sets out to be everyone else’s unpaid workhorse – the donkey that carries their burden for them. But…friends, family, and co-workers know that you … Continue reading “Stop Being Other People’s Donkey and Be Happy”
Wisdom: The Missing Element in Our Public Discourse Over the past two years, I’ve watched the talking heads on television and the internet rattle on about the COVID-19 issue ad nauseam. Most of what they’ve said can be dropped into the categories of fact and opinion. So, with two years of facts and opinions on every channel and every website known to man, … Continue reading “Wisdom: The Missing Element in Our Public Discourse”
Creators Vs. Critics – The Happiness Gap Go to any concert. Gather with any crowd and listen to a speech. Attend any book signing or art gallery opening. And there you’ll find a lot of critics and very few creators. You’ll always know who the creators are. They’re the people that are on the stage. They’re the people with their names on … Continue reading “Creators Vs. Critics – The Happiness Gap”
When You Can’t Get Up Off the Mat – Total Knock Out You’ve heard the phrase, “Get up off the mat.” It comes from the world of boxing, and refers to when a boxer gets knocked down during a fight. He needs to get back up, shake it off, and begin fighting again – or the referee will count to 10 and award the fight to the … Continue reading “When You Can’t Get Up Off the Mat – Total Knock Out”
Do What Scares You to Be Happy Elanor Roosevelt said, “Do one thing every day that scares you.” The distance between where you are now and what you really want in life is the distance between your two ears. Fear is housed in our mind, and our mind is hardwired to protect us – even from ourselves. Sometimes that’s good…but often, it … Continue reading “Do What Scares You to Be Happy”
Buy the Experience Not the Souvenir It was a few years ago now that my wife and I visited Lyon, the food capital of France. It is a bustling, vibrant city that always seems to have something to do. One evening, we decided to go for supper. After the usual negotiations as to which restaurant we should choose, we landed at … Continue reading “Buy the Experience Not the Souvenir”
When “Happy” Isn’t the Right Word As I sit down to write this morning, the cry of an ambulance siren floats through the open patio door. Someone isn’t having a good morning. Someone is hurting. You see, there are times when “happy” just isn’t the right word. In fact, there are times when “happy” isn’t the goal at all. Solomon – … Continue reading “When “Happy” Isn’t the Right Word”
Recognize the Perfect Moment Being happy is dependent upon moments. Right now you are living in a moment – a point in time. The last hour you lived through is gone, the next hour is only a hope and a promise – nothing more. So, you’re living from moment to moment. Recognizing the perfect moments is going to be … Continue reading “Recognize the Perfect Moment”
Don’t Let Hope and Ambition Chase You Off the Cliff There are some times in life when you want to see results. You don’t want to “waste” your time doing what you’ve been doing all along. You think you’ll be happier if you can try something “new” – but what? Will it work? Will you feel better having tried something “new” even if the attempt … Continue reading “Don’t Let Hope and Ambition Chase You Off the Cliff”