What’s fun for other people may not be fun for you- and vice versa.
I have a passion for children’s literature. Young adult literature. I love it. I’ve always loved it.
Happiness comes not from having more, not from having less, but from wanting what you have.
It’s the task that’s never started that’s more tiresome.
If I give more to myself, I can ask more from myself. Self-regard isn’t selfish.
Don’t let the perfect be the enemy of the good. Lower the bar. Actually spending ten minutes clearing off one shelf is better than fantasizing about spending a weekend cleaning out the basement.
Turn off your email; turn off your phone; disconnect from the Internet; figure out a way to set limits so you can concentrate when you need to, and disengage when you need to. Technology is a good servant but a bad master.
Contemporary research shows that happy people are more altruistic, more productive, more helpful, more likable, more creative, more resilient, more interested in others, friendlier, and healthier. Happy people make better friends, colleagues, and citizens.
Now is now. Here is my treasure.
I’m a person who’s fine saying ‘No.’ I like saying to myself, “no gossiping,” “no nagging.”
The belief that unhappiness is selfless and happiness is selfish is misguided. It’s more selfless to act happy. It takes energy, generosity, and discipline to be unfailingly lighthearted.
Creativity arises from a constant churn of ideas, and one of the easiest ways to encourage that fertile froth is to keep your mind engaged with your project. When you work regularly, inspiration strikes regularly.
Keep in mind that to avoid loneliness, many people need both a social circle and an intimate attachment. Having just one of two may still leave you feeling lonely.
Forbearance is a form of generosity.
Enthusiasm is more important to mastery than innate ability.
Volunteering to help others is the right thing to do, and it also boosts personal happiness.
Self-awareness is a key to self-mastery.
One of the best ways to make yourself happy in the present is to recall happy times from the past. Photos are a great memory-prompt, and because we tend to take photos of happy occasions, they weight our memories to the good.
There’s also something about your bed; it’s sort of a symbol of yourself and of your marriage, if you’re married. Making your bed doesn’t seem to be an important thing in a happy life, and yet it can be that tiny foothold into a more orderly life that sometimes people need.
No one regrets having changed a lightbulb.