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”
The Connection Between Building Confidence and Happiness Although there are a TON of naturally arrogant people in this world, there are few – if any – naturally confident individuals. Those that are better at putting on a brave face and barking out orders to others are often plagued with more self-doubt than their subordinates. Confidence doesn’t come naturally, but it is something … Continue reading “The Connection Between Building Confidence and Happiness”
Live with Intent: Living Every Minute of Your Life Increases Happiness In his book, Meditations, Roman Emporer Marcus Aurelius says, “Do not act as if you were going to live ten thousand years. Death hangs over you. While you live. While it is in your power. – Be good.” Nobody likes to think about death. Everything in our society seems to be designed to avoid the … Continue reading “Live with Intent: Living Every Minute of Your Life Increases Happiness”
Gracious People Are Happier People – and Ungracious People are Jerks In our society’s quest to throw out everything genteel and civilized in favor of individualism and “whatever you feel,” we’ve lost the collective expectation of graciousness toward our fellow man. What do I mean by gracious? I mean acting in a way that makes the other fellow feel comfortable, welcome, appreciated, and wanted in your … Continue reading “Gracious People Are Happier People – and Ungracious People are Jerks”
Are You Too Busy Eating Bananas to Fish? – Opportunity Cost and Happiness In economics, there is a principle called “Opportunity Cost.” Basically, Opportunity Cost refers to what you lose from one pursuit while working or focusing on something else. This is closely tied to our previous talk on knowing what the tradeoffs are for each decision you make. What are you losing by choosing the bicycle over … Continue reading “Are You Too Busy Eating Bananas to Fish? – Opportunity Cost and Happiness”
Happiness in Changing Habits (Power of Habit) Do you think there a connection between habits and happiness? In his bestseller, The Power of Habit: Why We Do What We Do In Life and Business, author Charles Duhigg makes the assertion that habits are not broken. Instead, he notes that habits must be replaced. For those of you that follow ancient teachers like … Continue reading “Happiness in Changing Habits (Power of Habit)”
Living in the Past Doesn’t Deliver Happiness (Paris Driving and Senator Tim Scott) In a recent interview on Fox News, Tim Scott (a Senator from South Carolina) gave an interesting – and enlightening – analogy regarding perspective. The conversation with host, Trey Gowdy, revolved around the pain of historic race relations in the US. More specifically, what weight should be given to the pain of historic events vs. … Continue reading “Living in the Past Doesn’t Deliver Happiness (Paris Driving and Senator Tim Scott)”
Pimples and Slivers: The Ancient Teachers Agree – Happiness Can’t Come from Judgementalism Have you noticed a severe uptick in judgementalism since the beginning of the COVID pandemic? It seems that the muzzle of courteous conduct has been taken off in favor of everyone proclaiming their own goodness and decrying the decisions of others. As if, somehow, a single individual’s choice about a topic can somehow be the … Continue reading “Pimples and Slivers: The Ancient Teachers Agree – Happiness Can’t Come from Judgementalism”