Are You A Happy Person?

What's the greatest difference between happy people and unhappy people?

As I stood at the sink washing the dishes, I overheard a psychologist on TV answering that question. Through therapy with hundreds of patients, he had come to one conclusion. He said that happy people are those who choose and follow their own paths - especially regarding careers. Unhappy people are those who yielded to someone else thinking they knew what was best for them.

First of all, I'm surprised at his answer. Not that I disagree that it's essential to follow your own dreams and passions. I'm just blown away that this was a common factor in so many of his patients' happiness. Are there still that many people who deny themselves the power to choose their own lives? Especially in this "it's all about me" generation?

I'm no psychologist, but I would have answered the question differently. The few unhappy people I know don't lack a willingness to choose on their own. They lack resilience. At the slightest thing going wrong, or not going their way, they freak out and rage against the unfairness of it all. After all this time - and experience - they still haven't figured out that problems are an inherent part of life's gig.

Get a grip! Pick yourself up, dust yourself off, and find an alternative plan (which usually works out better anyway). In other words, be a Gumby. That way, whatever choice you make will ultimately make you happy.

There are, of course, many other things that set happy and unhappy people apart. What would you say they are?

Today's Sage Spark: Wise Words To Live By

If you were to leave your legacy in writing, what would you say? What sage advice would you leave to those coming after you about the essence of life and the best way to live it?

Of all the decisions we've ever made, the headiest of all was probably made back as a child. We watched. We listened. We gathered messages up from the adults around us. At one time or another we thought, I'll never be like that...When I grow up, I'll be better, do things differently. My way.

So, how have you chosen to live? Have you been true to the self you envisioned?

At some point in college I stumbled upon to Robert Frost's poem, The Road Not Taken. "Two roads diverged in the woods and I... I took the one less traveled by... and that has made all the difference.

I was intrigued with those last lines. Yahoo, I thought. This is who I want to be. I realized then that the power to choose exhilarated me. This one life was laid out before me like a blank journal. All these options, and I could take any path I wanted. BE whomever I wanted. Not just professionally, but as a person. Definitely a gift.

I've chosen paths, and sometimes they've chosen me. Some have led me straight to where I wanted. Most have taken me the long way around. No matter. I learned to appreciate and find the value in wherever I was. No regrets.

So if I were to leave my legacy, this is what I'd say. Embrace your power to choose. Take responsibility for living your own dreams. Never look back. And mostly, enjoy the ride.

This philosophy has apparently worked for me, so I'm sticking to it. But I'm not done yet. I've got far to go. Too many choices set out before me like a sumptuous buffet. Ah, now what to savor next?


And now, who are you? Who have you been? What legacy will be yours to pass on?