A Key to Happiness...

There is more to this life than having everything. - Maurice Sendak

I read this quote today looking for inspiration and something positive to focus on. I try to see the good around me before I succumb to the gloom that so many others are willing to embrace. I'm sure this quote means many things to different people, but when I read it, I found that it reminds me of the similarity that it has to things both Tony Robbins and Brian Tracy have said. For those of you not familiar with these individuals, they are both motivational speakers.

Reading a book by Tony Robbins, called "Awaken the Giant Within", he takes time to talk about what makes people truly happy. He observed that people can have a ton of money and still not be truly happy in their lives. We often see celebrities that seem to have it all, and yet resort to drugs, alcohol or other substances to escape their reality. Some even resort to suicide to try to escape their lives. Yet, we also see people that are dirt poor, struggling to reach up beyond their means, and always unhappy too. They are upset with the way the "system" holds them back, or that someone else is responsible for their lot in life (which may even be true). So unhappiness is not limited to the Rich, nor is it the exclusive domain of those that are poor either.

Still, we know that people exist that are actually happy. They come from both sides of the spectrum - rich and poor. What enables them to be happy? When I read or Listen to Tony's material, he hints that the key is in being able to appreciate what you have now, while you continue to pursue your dreams. Perhaps that is why an underprivileged family knows how to have fun with simple means - a stick, a pile of small stones or even just the friends around them. So too is it with someone who is wealthy perhaps. Maybe they understand that they are greatly blessed and truly appreciate all they have. Being happy with what you have - being thankful - maybe that is the secret?

I also took a course called the Phoenix Seminar - with content from Brian Tracey. His message was about having a Positive Mental Attitude. Expect positive things and positive things will happen to you. If you seek the negative, then it will surely find you as well. From this course I was given an exercise to reinforce positive expectation. After each day ended, the instructor coached that we should identify at least 3 good things that happened to us during the day. In this way it would reinforce that there is something good even from the worst days. The more you look for the positive, the more you will find it. When you're being positive, it's hard to be unhappy.

So now, when I look back at the original Quote, I think the message here is that we don't have to pursue material wealth as the end objective, but instead to be appreciative of what we already posses. Being thankful is the message I take from that quote. As Tony says, it's hard to be unhappy when you're in a "thankful" frame of mind.

I do believe I have many things to be thankful for. I feel a smile coming on now as I write this.

Thanks Maurice for your words of inspiration.