“It isn’t what you have, or who you are, or where you are, or what you are doing that makes you happy or unhappy. It is what you think about.” Dale Carnegie
The eight blog posts/sections in the chapter titled “Mind Over Matter and Emotions” focused on healing by way of thinking about what we’re thinking about. I didn’t expect to write on the topic of thinking again in Section Two about happiness, but it applies here also.
Mahatma Gandhi said, “Happiness is when what you think, what you say, and what you do are in harmony.”
What you think
What you say
What you do
People over 90 were interviewed about how they’d live differently if given a second chance. Consistently, they said three things:
Reflect more.
Risk more.
Leave something of lasting value.
From page 417 in The Big Book of Alcoholics Anonymous, one of the book’s most quoted passages talks about what we think about.
“And acceptance is the answer to all my problems today. When I am disturbed, it is because I find some person, place, thing or situation – some fact of my life – unacceptable to me. I can find no serenity until I accept that person, place, thing or situation as being exactly the way it is supposed to be at this moment.”
“Nothing, absolutely nothing happens in God’s world by mistake. Until I could accept my alcoholism, I could not stay sober; unless I accept life completely on life’s terms, I cannot be happy. I need to concentrate not so much on what needs to be changed in the world as on what needs to be changed in me and in my attitudes.”
Concentrate not on what is unacceptable to us in the world, but what is unacceptable to us inside of ourselves, and change it. I’d add “concentrate on Jesus” because time with Him changes us.
We’ll never attain happiness by trying hard, but by thinking about what we’re thinking about, reflecting upon, and concentrating on.
Our happiness depends on what we think about.
In This Together,
Kim
FYI: I’m blogging my book titled On The Other Side of Trying Hard: Healing, Happiness, and Holiness. Because the blog posts will eventually be an entire manuscript instead of stand-alone stories, some posts may leave you hanging. I hope you’ll hang in here with us anyway ‘cause a happy ending is coming. Each blog post title includes the chapter title first. The phrase in parentheses is one subheading within the chapter. I’d love to hear your reflections, questions, and suggestions. I’m over-the-top grateful you’re here.