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 I was talking with someone on LinkedIn recently, about happiness. He asked what makes you really, truly happy deep down.
The question implies my happiness is controlled by external sources. To answer the question constrains you to believing that other things or events can make you happy.
If I say
some external thing or event can make me happy, then another thing or event could make me unhappy.
It brings to mind the saying "Live by the sword, die by the sword" or perhaps I could phrase it as "The external event giveth, and the external event taketh away." :)
Do I not have free will to be happy, regardless of the circumstances? Or am I a slave to however the wind blows and what it may bring each day?
I'd like to think I have some say in the matter. Between the event and the time where you react, you can take a time out and make a conscious decision to be happy regardless of what is going on around you. You can disconnect the trigger, and not automatically respond to a situation.
Perhaps you have heard the expression "Animals react, people can think before acting." I would like to give us more credit than being mere animals.
Sure I agree that some events
give you reason to choose to be even more happy. There are many legitimate situations that should have a certain response.
Aristotle, believed that the pursuit of
happiness was the Highest Good. But, kind of like the acres of diamonds story,
you can choose to be happy rather than hunt for it elsewhere than where it
really is. One of my favorite books on joy and happiness is Talking to Ducks . You might like it for further reading. What are your thought on this topic?
Duncan
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Related - Joy
Written by 'Guest' on 2007-05-13 01:39:51
See Philippians 4:4, 11-12 | The Pursuit Of Happiness
Written by 'Guest' on 2007-06-22 17:49:04
I do believe that, in some small part: external forces play a roll in our happiness. However, I believe what is more important, and what has the greatest impact on our happiness is our preconceptions of what happiness is; how we view happiness in our daily lives; and how we take action for happiness. I think that most people understand that happiness is not something that is with us every minute of our lives, but it is something that can be attained and maintained.
As we grow in life, our experiences and attitudes are written upon a window that is always infront of us: and that which we always look through to see the world around us. All the good, and the bad are in front of us, even if we are just subcontiously aware of it: and they determine how we act and react to both internal and external forces. Although we often think that things "just happen" to us: more often than not, it is things that occure due to the choices that we have made. Not only the choices we make immediatly, but the choices we have made in the past.
Your outlook on happiness is also a choice. You can choose to see the world as a glass half full, or half empty: but it is still YOUR choice. If you get a flat tire, you can CHOOSE to yell and scream...disturbing the delicate balance of your happiness...but this does not fix the tire. You can also choose to live your life, accepting the external challenges, and use them to learn something that perhaps, can add to your future happiness.
Life is a series of choices. You can choose not to choose, and go with the flow....but then, by doing so, you have also made a choice. Your choices, no matter what they are, help determine your happiness. Your attitude of what makes you happy, and your perception of how you feel, and what is going on in and around you in your life...all will determine if you are happy.
John A. Shachter
President &CEO
Cat Black Enterprises
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Personal Development 
