“Success is getting what you want. Happiness is wanting what you get.”
Being successful at getting what you want doesn’t always equate to happiness. As this quote by Dale Carnegie reminds us, happiness is wanting what you get. When we examine the idea of wanting what you get, we can break it down in two ways. Sometimes we want the wrong things, thinking that they would make us happy. And when we finally get them, we realize they aren’t the things we really want. Although we may have achieved success and gotten what we wanted, it doesn’t give us the feeling of happiness we had anticipated. So in the end, we don’t want (i.e. desire) what we get. Sometimes we do get…
“If you’re reading this… Congratulations, you’re alive. If that’s not something to smile about, then I don’t know what is.”
This quote is from the book, Monsters Under Your Head, by Chad Sugg. It’s the kind of quote you’d want to post somewhere you can see everyday, because it actually speaks to you as you read it. It reminds you to appreciate the life we sometimes take for granted, especially on those days you struggle to find something that makes you smile. It also reminds you to live each day as full as you can, especially on those days you feel unmotivated.
“The heart that gives thanks is a happy one, for we cannot feel thankful and unhappy at the same time.”
This quote is from the children’s book, The Secret of Saying Thanks, by Douglas Wood. In reading this book and quote, we are reminded that it’s impossible to be thankful and unhappy at the same time. That’s because gratitude has a way of bending our attitude toward happiness. And this is something we can begin to recognize at a young age. If it’s difficult to have gratitude, you can practice it by simply writing something you’re thankful for each day. Perhaps you challenge yourself to write something different each day. By the end of the year, you may surprise yourself with 365 different things to be thankful for and 365…
“Enjoy the little things, for one day you may look back and realize they were the big things.”
You might have heard the popular saying, you don’t know what you have until it’s gone. Unfortunately, this is quite often the case. This quote, by Robert Breault, is a reminder to enjoyed the little things. One day, you may not be able to do the things you did before or certain things you had might be gone. But we don’t have to wait until something is gone or can’t be done in order to appreciate it. We can enjoy those things now–each day, whether they are big or small–like a morning coffee, a nice walk on a nice day, or time spent with our loved ones.
“Every day may not be a good day but there is good in every day.”
This quote, by Alice Morse Earle, reminds us that it’s important to first understand that every day may not be a good day. Some days bring bad news, disappointment, frustration, physical pain, or emotional distress. There is a host of life challenges out there. But while we understand every day may not be good, we should also understand that there is still good in every day. The two are not mutually exclusive. It is, in fact, possible to find good in not so good days. This realization can be somewhat liberating. We become less focussed on making life “perfect”–feeling constantly unhappy and disappointed. Instead, we’re more inclined to do our…
“Remember that not getting what you want is sometimes a wonderful stroke of luck.”
Getting what you want all the time seems like the most ideal way to live. There’s nothing that will ever disappoint you. However, according to this quote by Dalai Lama, sometimes not getting what we want is luck. Sometimes, that helps make the moments we do get what we want much sweeter. We appreciate the blessings we do have a bit more. Perhaps what we wanted could have led us down the wrong path. Or maybe, what we wanted is not best for us now but better at another point in time. So next time we don’t get what we want, let’s consider these possibilities. We just don’t know what…
“When you arise in the morning think of what a privilege it is to be alive, to think, to enjoy, to love.”
This quote is from the book, Meditations, by the Roman Emperor Marcus Aurelius. Meditations contains a series of notes and ideas by Aurelius to himself–a kind of personal journal. There is evidence to believe Aurelius suffered from chronic pain and poor appetite (symptoms of a possible ulcer). It was so bad that many were concerned for his health. Knowing this context, we might have more appreciation for his words about waking up each morning with gratitude for simply being alive with the ability to think, enjoy, and love. It’s not always easy to do so, especially when we’re suffering from pain–be it physical or emotional. But perhaps, with gratitude, the…
“Live as if you were to die tomorrow. Learn as if you were to live forever.”
To truly apply this quote by Mahatma Gandhi, you first have to reflect on what it means for a person to live as if they were to die tomorrow and what it means for them to learn as if they were to live forever. Unfortunately, many people switch the words “tomorrow” and “forever”. As a result, they do the exact opposite of this quote. They live as if they were to live forever (not appreciating each day) and learn as if they were to die tomorrow (finding no need to learn anything new). However, this quote is about not taking a single day for granted and living life to the…
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Living Life Poetically: 2020
2020 has definitely been a challenging year for many of us. Through it, we may have felt pain, sadness, loss, and loneliness in a way we’ve never felt before. But coming to this moment with the year at a close means we somehow managed to push through it all. We may have discovered new ways to cope; and we may have realized we’re stronger than we expected–especially with the support of each other. Perhaps we take less for granted. Perhaps we discovered an appreciation for the little things. The poem, “2020”, is a reflection on a year that has been horrendous. But with time, we may find the silver lining…
“The secret of happiness, is not found in seeking more, but in developing the capacity to enjoy less.”
Gratitude and contentment are two things that create a solid foundation for happiness. That’s what this quote, by Socrates, is all about. When we’re grateful and content, we’re able to enjoy what we have now. And while we pursue our goals for the future, we do so already with a foundation of happiness. Therefore, our happiness isn’t necessarily a result of having more. It’s the result of an unshakeable mindset and ability to enjoy the little things.
