We go through life experiencing. No matter what the perceived value of those experiences are, they shape the person, the brain and the attitude. In return, the person interacts and is part of the totality of the experience that is predicated on the prior experiences of the person. It is like a continuous, endless loop.
If attitude is the house with which our decisions live, emotion is the brick and mortar, the wood and nails with which the human constructs his or her own reality.
The unfortunate aspect of this is that not all emotions are positive. See Pain is necessary and powerful
And yet without the presence of an equal negative emotion, the positive emotions don’t have as much meaning in comparison. What is happiness if one never experiences sadness?
In today’s society as probably was posited in previous generations, many claim the world is declining. The end is near. “kids these days…”
Not surprisingly, human capacity for positive emotions dwindle with age as well. Many adults seem so caught in survival and society that they suffer from illnesses brought on by their behavior which could be relieved through reverting to what children do best: smiling and laughing.
On Smiling
On Laughing
Seriously though, watch this and try not to laugh….just try…
If smiling and laughing really does bring about such great happiness as to be compared to earning an additional $25k, why do we not do it more? Why sacrifice so much for the notion of a better life? Have you tried to evaluate where you are?
We are so far removed from what we want in life that we pursue this notion of happiness that doesn’t lead to happiness. See Barry Schwartz the paradox of choice.
Have you taken a step back and assessed what you think success is? Have you modeled it after someone? Is that person truly happy? The power of pausing is that you get to think for yourself, you get to realize the power of thought—your thought.
And by all means, if happiness to you means making a unicorn, running a multi-billion dollar hedge fund, and/or the like, more power to you. Just make sure that that desire comes from within and not from without, for it’s certainly going to be a challenging road that often forces you to look to within for guidance, support, and energy. And I sure hope you’ll find it.