Daily Mood Quotes
Day 153 – October 3, 2011
Happiness depends more on how life strikes you than on what happens.
~Andy Rooney
In my life, the one thing I have always been able to do, is take something good, something memorable, or something I didn't know, from every situation I have been in. Letting others dictate the direction of one's life only means never finding the happiness, that was truly meant for you and it is a recipe for failure. What I consider to be one of the biggest mistakes people make is “trying to fit in.” I tried it once; it was the most unhappy time of my life. To quote Peanut from Jeff Dunham, “it suck-ka-kaed.” I was miserable trying to be someone everyone accepted, everyone liked. I was looking for those after work invites to a nearby bar or restaurant, just to feel like I belonged... to be one of the group. What's the point? I've seen and heard too many stories of how these events can destroy people, because of unprofessional conversations that took place in those settings. You have heard the old saying, “loose lips sink ships?” Well they also sink careers, relationships, promotions and pay raises, so why do it? I know; “to fit in” “be accepted.” It's that sense of “needing to belong” which drives many of us to disaster.
There is another old saying, “Why don't they put lids on crab pots? Answer, because when one starts climbing out, the others reach up to pull them back down.” So, it is with fitting in. Every group of people, has an up, or positive side and a down, or negative side. One of the great hazards of trying to “fit in” is that we seldom see the negative side, until it's too late and the damage is already done. Friends are a gift. However, if they can't accept you for who you are, then maybe you need to reconsider who your friends are.
Happiness isn't something someone can give you, it can only be achieved from within. I learned this a long time ago, my friends, my family, even my spouse were not responsible for my happiness; only I was. When I realized that, I changed the course of my life. And today, I am happy. Okay, still unemployed with a nuisance vision disability, but I am happy because of the choices I made for my life. In the movie The Pursuit of Happyness, Christopher Gardner (played by Will Smith) said to Christopher (played by Jayden Smith), “Hey. Don't ever let somebody tell you... You can't do something....You got a dream... You gotta protect it. People can't do somethin' themselves, they wanna tell you you can't do it. If you want somethin', go get it. Period.” Follow your dreams. I can remember many, many times in my life when I was told, I wasn't any good at something, or I couldn't do it because..., (okay, driving aside). I always wondered, if I could. Well, I don't wonder anymore, I have done and achieved many of the things I wanted to do, and I will continue to achieve. This winter, I'm thinking about learning to ski.
I also always wanted to be a writer and after listening to Andy Rooney's sign off speech from 60 Minutes last night on CBS, I feel more inspired and less ashamed about following that dream. I wonder if 60 Minutes would consider me as a temporary fill in? I'm not Andy Rooney, but I always say what's on my mind. Someone once told me, “If you never ask, you never know.”
How will you pursue “happiness” today?
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Thank you for reading
