Atom Smasher
Master Don Juan
Dwelling on the past (as well as worry) is a superstition. We have an innate feeling that we "should" mentally turn over past events in our minds or else we are not doing due diligence and we might pay a punishment for letting these things go.
The past is dead. The only thing that matters is today (with an eye toward the future). Don't let circumstances generate your emotions. Instead, use ACTION to generate your emotions.
Happiness is being on a track that you've defined for yourself. Several different tracks, actually, such as work life, spiritual life, social life, hobbies, etc. Happiness is not solely the final attainment of a goal. It is rather being on the journey toward that goal, knowing that the journey is changing you into a better man. Ultimate happiness is the certainty that the mechanical process you have carved out for yourself will reap daily rewards above and beyond the final attainment of the goal.
Social anxiety? Happiness is avoiding dwelling on that and instead deciding to engage in small-talk once a day with a stranger. A mechanical process that will effect lasting change...
Money troubles? Happiness is taking one small action per day to get your finances in order. Again, a mechanical process that will change your life.
Optimism is a habit that can be learned, just as one's pessimism is learned. Remember the Clint Eastwood movie when he would hit that rock with a sledge hammer day after day, seeing no result as the days went by? One day, one final hit with the hammer split the rock in two. The joy of accomplishment was ever sweeter because he knew from the very start that every one of the thousands of hammer strikes was necessary in order to achieve the goal of a split rock. He simply took the daily action necessary without regard for the fact that the rock sat there day after day, seemingly unbreakable.
What habit or circumstance seems unbreakable in your life?
Take joy in your tiny daily actions toward what you want. These tiny actions are actually the hardened steel of the tracks you're riding toward certain success.
Life is about process, not results. Results always follow sound process.
The past is dead. The only thing that matters is today (with an eye toward the future). Don't let circumstances generate your emotions. Instead, use ACTION to generate your emotions.
Happiness is being on a track that you've defined for yourself. Several different tracks, actually, such as work life, spiritual life, social life, hobbies, etc. Happiness is not solely the final attainment of a goal. It is rather being on the journey toward that goal, knowing that the journey is changing you into a better man. Ultimate happiness is the certainty that the mechanical process you have carved out for yourself will reap daily rewards above and beyond the final attainment of the goal.
Social anxiety? Happiness is avoiding dwelling on that and instead deciding to engage in small-talk once a day with a stranger. A mechanical process that will effect lasting change...
Money troubles? Happiness is taking one small action per day to get your finances in order. Again, a mechanical process that will change your life.
Optimism is a habit that can be learned, just as one's pessimism is learned. Remember the Clint Eastwood movie when he would hit that rock with a sledge hammer day after day, seeing no result as the days went by? One day, one final hit with the hammer split the rock in two. The joy of accomplishment was ever sweeter because he knew from the very start that every one of the thousands of hammer strikes was necessary in order to achieve the goal of a split rock. He simply took the daily action necessary without regard for the fact that the rock sat there day after day, seemingly unbreakable.
What habit or circumstance seems unbreakable in your life?
Take joy in your tiny daily actions toward what you want. These tiny actions are actually the hardened steel of the tracks you're riding toward certain success.
Life is about process, not results. Results always follow sound process.
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