So the next time you feel down or lonely, give yourself a shot of inspiration and become as active as you can. You’ll be amazed how much better you’ll feel.
STRATEGIES FOR SUCCESS #20
“Knowledge of what is possible is the beginning of happiness.”
GEORGE SANTAYANA
SPANISH AMERICAN PHILOSOPHER AND POET
COACH’S COMMENTS:
It is also said by the well known English philosopher Francis Bacon, that “Knowledge is power”.
In other words, you’re more in charge of your future and you’ll be happier if you maintain a keen appetite for knowledge.
This means reading newspapers, magazines, books and articles on a regular basis.
There is clear evidence that the more you know, the more you understand and the more you can enjoy and converse, the happier you can become.
STRATEGIES FOR SUCCESS #21
“Happiness doesn’t depend on the actual number of blessings we manage to scratch from life, only our attitude towards them.”
ALEXANDER SOLZHENITSYN
RUSSIAN WRITER
COACH’S COMMENTS:
Do you wait for people to give you positive feedback or do you give it to yourself?
If you want to be happy and content you need to give yourself positive reinforcement as often as you can. Champions in life, business and sport realise this and give themselves lots of positive messages.
As a result they manage themselves and their attitude well and tend to be more successful more often.
STRATEGIES FOR SUCCESS #22
“When a small child…I thought that success spelled happiness. I was wrong. Happiness is like a butterfly which appears and delights us for one brief moment, but soon flits away. “
ANNA PAVLOVA
RUSSIAN BALLET DANCER
COACH’S COMMENTS:
Do you seek success as the holy grail of happiness and go looking endlessly?
If you do you will become very disillusioned and perhaps miss the happiness you are looking for.
A well known saying but one that can help you in your quest for happiness is “Happiness is a journey, not a destination.”
So enjoy the journey and be happy.
STRATEGIES FOR SUCCESS #23
“Happiness in this world, when it comes, comes incidentally: make it the object of pursuit, and it leads us a wild-goose chase, and is never attained.”
NATHANIEL HAWTHORNE
AMERICAN NOVELIST AND SHORT STORY WRITER
COACH’S COMMENTS:
In life, we often have too much time to think and as a result our mind can easily play tricks on us and create many lonely times.
When you experience these times its easy to try hard to pursue happiness as some sort of panacea or enviable solution. It can then become like a mirage in the desert and confuse your thinking.
STRATEGIES FOR SUCCESS #24
“The happiest people seem to be those who are producing something; the bored people are those who are consuming much and producing nothing.”
WILLIAM INGE
ENGLISH PRELATE AND AUTHOR
COACH’S COMMENTS:
If you’re bored chances are you’re spinning your wheels and not going anywhere.
This happens often to people who retire early or retire without a plan of ongoing activity.
I see it regularly with retired men who look forward each week to their shopping outing with their wife. They seem to be totally bored and probably even a worry to their wife, or worse still a burden to them.
STRATEGIES FOR SUCCESS #25
“To be without some of the things you want is an indispensable part of happiness.”
BERTRAND RUSSELL
ENGLISH PHILOSOPHER AND MATHEMATICIAN
COACH’S COMMENTS:
In other words, to dream of things you want is good for you as it gives you something to look forward to in the future.
You must have experienced the excitement of waiting for something special in your life; a holiday, a hat, a horse or a house! It’s the anticipation that gets you going and gets you excited and happy.
You see, if you had everything you wouldn’t really be happy.
STRATEGIES FOR SUCCESS #26
“There is no duty we so much underestimate as the duty of being happy. Being happy we sow anonymous benefits upon the world.”
ROBERT LOUIS STEVENSON
SCOTTISH NOVELIST, POET AND ESSAYIST
COACH’S COMMENTS:
The other day I played golf with a good golfer off a 5 handicap. After he hit off on one hole, he slightly hooked his shot and smashed his driver deep into the tee.
As he walked off I mentioned I was going to a funeral the next day for a golfing friend who was only 63.
He got the message loud and clear!
STRATEGIES FOR SUCCESS #27
“The best way to future happiness is to be as happy as is rightfully possible today.”
CHARLES W. ELIOT
ENGLISH EDUCATOR
COACH’S COMMENTS:
Are you as happy as you can be today?
If not, take a good look at your total situation and I’m sure you’ll see something to be happy about. Once you start to feel as happy as you can, you will start a journey of happiness in the future.
You see, it’s all about creating a happy mind set that enables you to create your future happiness.
So put your best foot forward and start your journey.
STRATEGIES FOR SUCCESS #28
“Most happy is he who is entirely self-reliant, and who centres all his requirements on himself.”
MARCUS TULLIUS CICERO
ROMAN ORATOR, STATESMAN AND WRITER
COACH’S COMMENTS:
It’s interesting but when you need someone else in your life to make you happy, then, if you’re really honest with yourself, you are probably not really at your happiest.
Often after a death of a partner or a divorce or separation, you are forced to become more self-reliant and as a result your happiness eventually increases.
So if you are feeling down, stop and reflect how self reliant you are.
STRATEGIES FOR SUCCESS #29
“The happiness of life is made up of