Stop Pursuing, Start Being

On the heels of yesterday’s post, I thought this would be a good follow-on.

* * *

Now and then it’s good to pause in our pursuit of happiness and just be happy. – Guillaume Apollinaire

Happiness is really just a feeling-state.

We have different names for it: peace-of-mind, cheerful, cheery, merry, joyful, jovial, jolly, jocular, gleeful, carefree, untroubled, delighted, smiling, beaming, grinning, in good spirits, in a good mood, lighthearted, pleased, contented, content, satisfied, gratified, buoyant, radiant, sunny, blithe, joyous, . . . .

But it’s really just a feeling; and feelings almost always come from thoughts.

So, if feelings come from thoughts, and we can choose our thoughts, then we can feel happy by choosing the right thoughts.

Take a break from the pursuit and think a carefully chosen thought.

Just be happy.

Similar Posts

  • How To Be of Value

    Try not to become a man of success, but rather try to become a man of value. – Albert Einstein Success is an abstract, relative term. It’s a made-up thing, it doesn’t actually exist anywhere, like “time.” (You can show me a clock, but you can’t show me time . . . .) And it…

  • Smooth Roads or Suspension?

    I recently read a (nother) brilliant post by Seth Godin, one piece of which was about resilience. It got me to thinking: is better to have ultra smooth roads and cars with no suspension, no shock absorbers, or to build cars with resilience? Which would be a more intelligent use of resources? Living in the…

  • Wherever You Go . . .

    Very often a change of self is needed more than a change of scene. – Arthur Christopher Benson Where ever you go, there you are. It is rare that a change of address will solve one’s problems. The great news is that when you get to the core of what’s bothering you it can be…

  • Desire & Work

    If life was so easy that you could just go buy success, there would be a lot more successful companies in the world. Successful enterprise are built from the ground up. – Lou Gerstner The starting point of all achievement is desire. Keep this constantly in mind. Weak desires bring weak results, just as a small…

  • The Necessity of Nature

    Wilderness is not a luxury, but a necessity of the human spirit. – Edward Abbey You are not made of metal or plastic. You are made of nature. You must regularly, and consciously, return to nature to renew your connection to what you are. Nurture your spirit with what it is – be in nature.