virgin islands scene

Patience and perseverance have a magical effect before which difficulties disappear and obstacles vanish.
-- John Quincy Adams
 

 

Saturday, April 7, 2001

Happy about nothing

Must you solve all your problems before you can allow yourself to be happy? Of course not. Must you deny, ignore, or run away from those problems in order to know happiness? Certainly not. In order to be happy, must you first acquire everything your heart desires?

Happiness has no prerequisite other than life itself. It comes from the way you choose to live and respond to the world, not from the way the world responds back. It is yours, and is not dependent on, or impeded by, factors outside your control.

There are plenty of people who face many serious difficulties and still they fill each day with joy and happiness. That’s because they’ve learned that happiness doesn’t require an object. It’s an attitude, not a judgment or assessment. You can be happy without being happy about anything in particular. Rather than having nothing to be happy about, be happy about nothing.

Go ahead. Be happy today. Put a smile on your face. You’ll feel great. And as a result you’ll be remarkably more effective. Learn to be happy about nothing in particular and soon you’ll have plenty to be happy about.

— Ralph Marston

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Copyright ©2001 Ralph S. Marston, Jr. All Rights Reserved. The Daily Motivator is provided for your personal, non-commercial use only. Other than personal sharing, please do not re-distribute without permission.