I am still determined to be cheerful and happy, in whatever situation I may be; for I have also learned from experience that the greater part of our happiness or misery depends upon our dispositions, and not upon our circumstances.
— Martha Washington
Most of us say that we want to be happy, and to some extent we do. Getting to happy requires that we consciously choose the “happy path.” To do that, we have to figure out what happy looks like to us. Then, when we come to a fork in the road, we need to consciously choose the path that heads toward our version of happy.
I believe that we all have the potential to be happy. For some of us, our view of happy looks like our family life when we were kids.
One of the things that we absorbed when we lived at home was Continue reading » The Happy Path
Are you stuck in a “costs too much” mindset?
I know, I know – it’s the WRONG season for persimmons which…
…if it be not ripe, it will draw a man’s mouth awry, with much torment, but when it is ripe, it is as delicious as an apricot.
— Captain John Smith
But the Persimmon Paradox isn’t really about persimmons… it’s about freeing yourself from mindsets that are not useful! (Still, if you get a hankering for persimmons because of this post, you might try “Just Persimmons ”. Mind you, I haven’t tried them because there’s only one way I like persimmons and that’s in the cookie form!) But I digress…
The “Costs Too Much” Mindset
Have you ever denied yourself something because it “costs too much?” Or found yourself deciding not to pursue an avenue of effort because it will take too long, be too hard, or take too much energy? If so, then you’ve succumbed to the Persimmon Paradox. Back in 2010 I read a story about a man who LOVED persimmons but almost didn’t buy the first-fruits-of-the-season because a bag of mouthwatering, perfect persimmons Continue reading » The Persimmon Paradox
Make someone happy.
Make just one someone happy.
And you will be happy too.
— Betty Comden and Adolph Green
Music by Jule Styne
One of the blessings of having some time off is the opportunity to see a movie – or two. During the holiday season, I saw Arthur Christmas. This is truly a Christmas classic to be. Created by the makers of Chicken Run, Arthur Christmas imagines how the Claus family now uses technology to make sure that no child is disappointed on Christmas morning. Unfortunately, like many technical solutions, this one has Continue reading » Make Someone Happy
We are what we repeatedly do. Excellence, therefore, is not an act, but a habit.
— Aristotle
If Aristotle is correct, and I believe that he is, then the key question is “What habits do I need to develop to improve my life?” I could answer this with things like:
- Walk 30 minutes every day.
- Get eight hours of sleep each night.
- Eliminate sugar, salt and anything that tastes good from my diet.
Although doing any of these could be good for me, if I truly want to improve my life, I need to Continue reading » How to Become Consistently Cheerful
The best thinking has been done in solitude.
— Thomas Alva Edison
I am on vacation this week. The only responsibilities I have are investing and writing posts for the blog. (WHAT, you take a vacation and don’t work??!!!) As part of pampering myself, I’m catching up on Charlie Rose. Five nights a week, Charlie invites someone interesting, or famous, or powerful or sometimes all three at once, to his table and has a conversation with them. The Social Animal by David Brooks had just been published and Brooks was doing his book tour. Hence, he was Charlie’s guest for the hour. (I don’t mean to be overly familiar but I’ve been watching Charlie for sooooo long that I figure I can call him by his first name.)
The Social Animal is fiction, based on Continue reading » Speaking Up for the Introvert
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