What are the conditions necessary for happiness to flourish in your life? As we've considered, happiness comes not as a result of the perfect arrangement of things, people or circumstances, instead, happiness comes as you unselfishly dedicate your life to true purpose. Most see it as the sweet flavor of the carrot on the stick, …
Tag: happiness
Royal Road to Happiness III
Have you discovered your purpose in life? If so, you likely measure all against the fulfillment of that purpose. If not, you probably feel as though there is something yet missing. Rightly so. Purpose drives meaning, and no amount of busywork around the point of purpose can bring a sense of meaning quite the same …
Royal Road to Happiness II
"Happiness has a number of under-studies, – gratification, satisfaction, content, and pleasure, – clever imitators that simulate its appearance rather than emulate its method. Gratification is a harmony between our desires and our possessions. It is ever incomplete, it is the thankful acceptance of part. It is a mental pleasure in the quality of what …
Royal Road to Happiness I
"'During my whole life I have not had twenty-four hours of happiness.' So said Prince Bismarck, one of the greatest statesmen of the nineteenth century. Eighty-three years of wealth, fame, honors, power, influence, prosperity and triumph, – years when he held an empire in his fingers, – but not one day of happiness!" ~ William …
500
It is my delight to announce that today's entry was my 500th consecutive daily post. Thank you for your support! Your readership and comments warm my heart and I count the opportunity to share daily words of inspiration as one of my greatest privileges. If you haven't commented yet, don't worry, the time will come …
Alchemy of Calmness II
People have gone to great lengths to achieve the elusive state of being called calmness. They've surrendered, medicated, denied, avoided, distracted and withdrawn themselves to death, trying desperately to wrap their hands and heads around what appears to be a fleeting experience. Calmness, like happiness, cannot be pasted on from the outside. It must emerge …
Human Felicity
"Human felicity is produced not as much by great pieces of good fortune that seldom happen as by little advantages that occur every day." ~ Benjamin Franklin What little advantages came your way yesterday? Did you take time to enumerate them at the end of the day? Did you recognize them when they happened? If …
The Truth in Motion
"The discovery of truth is prevented more effectively, not by the false appearance things present and which mislead into error, not directly by weakness of the reasoning powers, but by preconceived opinion, by prejudice." ~ Arthur Schopenhauer Mankind tends to orbit the truth as Halley's Comet does the earth. At times he is close, intimately …
Constant Transformation
"When one door closes another door opens, but we so often look so long and so regretfully upon the closed door, that we do not see the ones which open for us." ~ Alexander Graham Bell A lovely letter accompanied the recent mailing of a catalog I enjoy perusing and I am compelled this morning to …
Rhythmic Procession
"Take rest; a field that has rested gives a bountiful crop." ~ Ovid It is so easy in today's complex world to get caught up in a constant stream of activity. Goals beget goals, bigger and more are assumed to be better, and rest, relaxation and serenity are somehow lost in the mix. As Margaret …
Gregory Hake 