The way to happiness

I woke up this morning.
That was a good start.
And it got even better, fast...
Because I noticed that the first thought that came to me
was about one of the primary goals I wanted to achieve
today.

Then in rapid fire succession - 2 to 5 seconds each - were
thoughts of two parent calls, then the interviews I’m having tonight,
then I thought about the individual tasks that would make all the bigger
things happen without a hitch. This took about 30 seconds -
tops. They exhilarated me.

Then it occurred to me, beginning at about my 31st second
of consciousness, that the average person doesn't think
this way when they wake...

Or if they do think about all the major doings that are
supposed to happen when their eyes open in the morning, it
instantly causes negative stress.

And they say to themselves things like, "Oh, no... Not
again... Just ten more minutes of sleep... Why me?"
Anxiety begins to grow. And if they don't think about
something else fast, panic could be just around the corner,
waiting to put a choke hold on them.

So what results is that Joe Average hates
responsibilities. Anything that could add to the unwanted
stress of greater responsibility is avoided.

And the search for what is most fun in the moment is on.
Reading newspapers or emails, surfing the internet, social
phone calls, SMS’s, etc. Problems get bigger. Time, and
opportunity... and life are wasted.

This is why people smoke too much, drink too much and eat
too much. And why decisions that are obviously good for
them to make are never made. The smartest actions are
never taken.

In fact, hundreds of addictive patterns are often brought
on by an escapism mindset.
So goals are never set, plans are never made, and
achievements are never achieved.

That would be cool if you are just out for a night of fun,
or are on vacation and you're along for the ride.
But to live every day going with the flow is THE recipe
for waking up in ten years finding out that you are the
same as you were tens years ago and that nothing else has
changed either.

It is the recipe for health problems, financial problems,
social problems... ALL problems.
Having no clearly defined challenging goals every day is
not the way.

Growing is the way to happiness.
Having the mindset of a person who is constantly growing,
striving, achieving is the recipe for having a meaningful,
purposeful, happy life.

The happiest people you'll ever meet are almost always the
ones who've done the most, done things that matter, helped
more people, brought more enjoyment to others, created
more, done things better, faster and with less strain.