I choose happiness
I recently came across an interesting guy, Mark Suster, an entrepreneur turned VC after selling his second company to Salesforce.com. Mark published a post (titled Life is 10% How You Make It 90% How you Take It) that really spoke to me. In fact, I used it for this week’s Monday’s quote. This is an excerpt from the above-mentioned post:
“Life is hard. It’s hard for everybody. We all imagine that somebody else has it figured out yet when you meet the people who you think actually do have it all you find out that life is hard for everybody.
I point that out because one of my favorite quotes in the world (and one I often repeat) is that “life is 10% how you make it and 90% how you take it.” It’s not a recommendation that you don’t have to put in effort to make your life better. It’s an acknowledgement that whatever the outcomes in your life you can choose to be happy or choose to be miserable.
I have a friend who I estimate is worth about $500 million. I have another friend who’s a billionaire. We all used to spend a lot of time together. I always regretted that the former lived this crazy life where he saw his kids less than I thought was right because he was always on an airplane in search of his next deal. He was a bit of a deal junkie. Yet what I think drove him more than anything was a sense that he was “behind” our other friend.
I live in complete bliss knowing that I likely won’t ever come even close to that level. It’s sort of liberating not feeling the need to even try. But I have a wonderful family, a job I enjoy and a life for which I’m grateful. My life isn’t perfect – there’s always something that I know I should be doing to make it better. But I choose happiness. And my main point is that I truly believe that happiness is just that – a choice…
So remember whatever adversity you’re facing, many of the people you admire today have struggled too. We didn’t all have it easy. We weren’t all born with a silver spoon in our mouths. We didn’t all hit it big by 30.
You can choose to be defeatist or to pull your socks up and try again – harder this time. Enjoy the journey and not just the destination otherwise even when you arrive you may not find the happiness you were looking for, as I suspect my $500 million friend has not.”
Friends, this is simple, straightforward advice, right? BUT, we all know that simple does not equal easy. Trust me, I know. This year has been a whirlwind for me, due in no small part to the fact that I am on an improbable journey. Lots of ups and downs. It wasn’t until this year that I truly understood Mark’s point. I get it now…FINALLY And, it’s making this journey much easier.
I wrote a post a couple weeks ago about how I embrace the little things in life…because they make me smile. Here’s an awesome website that I found (thanks to Mark) and visit regularly. If you want tips on how to be happier, go to “Ten Tips for Being Happier.”
Here’s my two cents……Life can be a bitch. We will go through hard times. Everyone does. But, we CAN’T let setbacks and challenges trigger feelings of self-doubt and pessimism, or become road blocks to achieving our goals.
I believe we all have the power to be happy. Happiness is in our hands. It’s a choice. There are many things in life of which we have no control…so why not choose to be happy and go through life with a positive attitude? Who wants the alternative? Not me, that’s for sure. What do you choose?