Posts by Pat:
What Jefferson Really Meant
When you talk with folks about happiness, they often quote Thomas Jefferson’s famous line from the Declaration of Independence about eveyone being entitled to “life, liberty and the pursuit of happiness.”
We’ve been conditioned to believe that happiness is something for us to pursue.
But that’s not what Jefferson really meant by the pursuit of happiness. In 1776, to “pursue” something meant to practice that activity, to do it regularly to make it a habit.*
*from the book Happy for No Reason by Marci Schimoff
What a difference a definition makes! What Jefferson meant was that we all had the right to practice happiness, not chase after it. (which isn’t very productive anyway!)
Since pychologists tell us that at least 90% of all behavior is habitual, to become happier we need to look at our habits, our daily activities, to affect our happiness level.
We could stop pursuing happiness and start practicing it! And we do that by practicing new habits. We don’t “just decide” to be happy, any more than we can just decide to be fit or be a great violin virtuoso. We can, however, decide to take the necessary steps, like excercising or taking violin lessons. And by practicing those new skills we can get in shape or give recitals.
With enough practice we can train our brain to process the world differently. To see things brighter. Clearer. Fleeting and temporary if need be. “This too shall pass” can become one of our favorite mantras for any seemingly unhappy-making circumstances.
The best thing about practicing happiness is that each and every one of us has the power and the tools to make ourselves happy.
I can do this and so can YOU!
Need another reason?
A story from the famed basketball coach George Raveling resonates with me about an invaluable lesson from his grandmother who had raised him. “Why did the slave masters hide their money in books, George?” she asked him when he was a young boy. “I don’t know, grandma, he said. “Because they knew the slaves wouldn’t […]
The panther, the dog and the squirrel…
As we get older and find ourselves looking for a gate to open rather than climbing over the fence, we can at least say to ourselves, “I may be slower, but at least I am wise.” With that thought in mind, here’s an oldie but goodie for you! One day an old German Shepherd starts […]
The Two Oreo Principle
Who doesn’t love Oreos? After all, they are chocolate! Once they are in the house, we may just start eating a couple each day. You know, one of those tiny, seemingly inconsequential things that add up over time. So if we crunch the numbers…Two oreos a day for an entire year at 45+/- calories for […]
Be-Do-Have?
Most people believe that they must first have something (money, time, love) Before they can do what they want to do (travel the world, write a book, have a romantic relationship) Which will ultimately allow them to be something (happy, peaceful, motivated). Paradoxically, this have-do-be paradigm must be reversed to experience happiness, success, or anything […]
Here be dragons…
“Here be dragons” (hic sunt dracones in Latin) means dangerous or unexplored territories, in imitation of a medieval practice of putting illustrations of dragons, sea monsters and other mythological creatures on uncharted areas of maps where potential dangers were thought to exist. Though only on one historical map, this famous phrase may well have served […]
Rules for chocolate?!
Before sharing some of my favorite “chocolate rules” I need to acknowledge (as a previous retail owner of a chocolate store) that I really do know that it’s important for us to be somewhat discerning about the chocolate we eat! After all M&M’s are only a last resort and most of those milk chocolate bars […]
When is enuf, enuf?
What is enough? We are intelligent enough to know that we don’t know everything–that most of our experience falls somewhere in between the black and the white, the right and the wrong, the truth and the lies. When will we know enough, though? I sometimes feel like Goldilocks, with the porridge choices being either too […]
the little things…
Have you ever let the “little things” in your life get you down, make you mad or take the joy out of your life? If so, then this little story I found is for you. The Lesson of the Eagle and the Crow “The only bird that dares to peck an eagle is the crow. […]