Tuesday, January 01, 2008
Happy New Year
When a new year begins we hope it will bring happiness. We Americans are very involved in happiness; at least we would like to be. We believe in “…Life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness”.
A very interesting book about happiness is entitled, "Artificial Happiness" by Ronald Dworkwin. He accuses us of trying to manufacture our happiness rather than just treating depression.
Someone once said that happiness is a state of mind. What state are you in? I think I would be happier in some other state than Illinois right now since it snowed last night and it is very cold. I think I would be happier if I were in the Bahamas or some where warmer.
Some people feel that if their past were different they would be happier. Reality therapy or choice therapy indicates that it isn’t our past but our present that should impact whether we are happy or not. Yes we are products of our past but not victims of our past.
The year 2007 is in the past and all we have is January 1, 2008. Some people worry about the future and that steals their happiness from them. I imagine there are a lot of people worrying about January 2 because they have to go to work again.
My efforts this year (you notice that the word ‘resolution’ was not used) will be toward living in the present. I don’t want to run the past through my mind over and over and think about what I should have did or should have said, or worry about the future and what might happen, because if I do those two things, I might miss some moments of happiness. I wish the same thing for you. Peace.
A very interesting book about happiness is entitled, "Artificial Happiness" by Ronald Dworkwin. He accuses us of trying to manufacture our happiness rather than just treating depression.
Someone once said that happiness is a state of mind. What state are you in? I think I would be happier in some other state than Illinois right now since it snowed last night and it is very cold. I think I would be happier if I were in the Bahamas or some where warmer.
Some people feel that if their past were different they would be happier. Reality therapy or choice therapy indicates that it isn’t our past but our present that should impact whether we are happy or not. Yes we are products of our past but not victims of our past.
The year 2007 is in the past and all we have is January 1, 2008. Some people worry about the future and that steals their happiness from them. I imagine there are a lot of people worrying about January 2 because they have to go to work again.
My efforts this year (you notice that the word ‘resolution’ was not used) will be toward living in the present. I don’t want to run the past through my mind over and over and think about what I should have did or should have said, or worry about the future and what might happen, because if I do those two things, I might miss some moments of happiness. I wish the same thing for you. Peace.
# posted by survivors story @ 5:33 AM 
