“There is neither happiness nor misery in the world; there is only the comparison of one state with another, nothing more. He who has felt the deepest grief is best able to experience supreme happiness.”
This quote appears in The Count of Monte Cristo by Alexandre Dumas. It reminds us that happiness and misery are not always black and white. They’re relative. For instance, when someone who always gets what they want gets something, they are happy. However, their happiness would pale in comparison to someone else getting the exact same thing after many years of patience and hard work. So yes–grief, pain, and sadness are not things we embrace. To live life positively, it’s better to have as little of these things in it as possible. But when these emotions and experiences do occur, there is a silver lining…Our deepest woes help us to…
“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.
“Happiness is not something ready-made. It comes from your own actions.”
Finding happiness doesn’t always come automatically. Some days are harder than others. Sometimes without any known reason. As this quote by Dalai Lama XIV reminds us, happiness is not “ready-made.” But even though it’s not ready-made, this quote also reminds us we do have some level of autonomy over it. There are actions you can take for your happiness. For instance, understanding yourself–Increasing the things that make you happy and avoiding the things that do the opposite. Ensuring you have the right support system around you. Surrounding yourself with positive things and people. Seeking counseling when needed. Finding peace through meditation and prayer. Taking better care of your body and…
“Half the trouble in the world comes from people asking ‘What have I achieved?’ rather than ‘What have I enjoyed?’”
This quote is from Walter Farley, the writer of The Black Stallion books. Farley went on to say that it wasn’t so much the popularity of his books among young readers that brought him joy. Instead, it was that he enjoyed writing them. Often we focus on the outcome, or achievement, and not the way we feel in getting there. This quote reminds us to focus less on what we’ve achieved and more on what we’ve enjoyed. After all, it’s better to have mediocrity than an unhappy road to success. However, if we focus on what we enjoy, the success may come too, but with more joy along the way.
“When we try to juggle everything, we can’t enjoy anything.”
Every minimalism sales pitch has a common theme: Less means more. With less stuff, we can enjoy more space and time for what really matters. But minimalism almost always refers to cutting back on physical items that we can see and touch. However, the minimalist concept of less means more can also apply to certain non-physical things. This quote, from the blog bemorewithless by Courtney Carver, reminds us that, sometimes, the more there is for us to juggle, the harder it is to enjoy what’s there. “When we try to juggle everything, we can’t enjoy anything.” Coincidentally, Carver specializes in minimalism, and her book Project 333, is about minimalism particularly…
“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…
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“Life is like a camera. Focus on what’s important. Capture the good times. And if things don’t work out, just take another shot.”
“No one is you and that is your power.”
“I cannot give you the formula for success, but I can give you the formula for failure–which is: Try to please everybody.”
“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.
“You are the sum total of everything you’ve ever seen, heard, eaten, smelled, been told, forgot – it’s all there. Everything influences each of us, and because of that, I try to make sure that my experiences are positive.”
In math, adding positive numbers results in an even bigger number. However, the moment we begin to introduce negative numbers, the sum total decreases. This is a basic mathematical concept. And this quote, by Maya Angelou, reminds us that a similar principle applies to life. Who we are is the sum of everything around us. What we see, hear, eat, smell, know, remember–it all adds up to make us think, act, and do things a certain way. Continuing on with imagining life as an equation, consider how you can make all the things that influence your life more positive. Remember, you don’t necessarily have to do something big (ie. add…
“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…
“Rise above the storm, and you will find the sunshine.”
When we look at a sky covered with thick dark clouds during one of those storms in the middle of the day, it’s easy to imagine the sun is no longer there or that it has ceased to shine for a moment. However, the sun is still there–shining no more nor no less. It’s only hidden. This quote, by Mario Fernández, reminds us to rise above the storm to find the sunshine. Literally speaking, that is exactly what we’d have to do to find it. Above the storm clouds carrying rain and lightning, the sun shines on. Figuratively speaking, the same applies to life. The simple joys and beauty of…
