Happiness in work is when you are so excited about what you are trying to do that you keep thinking and thinking about it. In other words, happiness is when heart and mind and actions are aligned.
Work is the act of expending effort to improve the world. Work is therefore at the heart of happiness in the short run and in the long run.
Work tends to be local and specific in nature and can seem unromantic or small. But most positive changes brought about by men come through work.
It’s nice when work feels like play.
Many emotions pass through a mind as storms. Storms pass and the life that you build remains. These temporary emotions cannot be allowed to get in the way of things of enduring importance.
Whatsoever thy hand findeth to do, do it with thy might. Eccl 9:10
People are more important than things.
I live so that if my private actions and thoughts were known I would be proud rather than ashamed.
I strive for excellence recognizing that I’ll have to pass through plenty of humorous mediocrity on the journey.
Life is short and precious. There isn’t time for much whining.
I can do almost anything. I can’t do almost everything.
With 10 years of steady effort, one can achieve expertise in a field. It is worth noting, therefore, that one will not be an expert in most things. If one wants to do something worthwhile, it may be wise to begin doing it now rather than waiting for expertise first.
When you see things in their true light, only two emotions make sense. Those two emotions are love and gratitude.
July 16, 2007 at 7:43 am
Enjoyed reading this entry. Is your code sort of a like a mission statement that’s helping you figure out who you are, what you want, and where you want to go? I’m asking because some of your comments remind me somewhat of Stephen Covey.
This morning I’m especially tuned into your last statement about love and gratitude. Is there anything more important or stronger than love? It’s difficult to always see people and things through the eyes of love, and yet that’s what Christ commanded us to do. Whenever someone disappoints or lets down one of my brothers-in-law, he lives by the reminder to “always think the best of the people you love.” I know this because my sister and I have discussed it many times whenever we find ourselves angry, unset, or annoyed by others.
About gratitude, well, I’m aware of the source of all of my many, many blessings and am constantly reminded of them. When I arrived on campus a little while ago, I was treated to the beautiful sound of church bells from the Methodist church down the street. Nice.
I still haven’t learned how to link from one blog to another, but my blog is entitled
Mom’s Musings, and it’s at wordpress.
September 2, 2007 at 9:12 pm
Thanks, MJ.
I was pretty down at one point about a month into my mission into France. We went to the sea on an outing on one of our P-days. I think I was praying for help at the time. Anyway, I remember looking out from the beach into the sky and ocean. At that time, looking out there, the other emotions all seemed to lose relevance. Love and gratitude were the only ones that seemed to fit the larger context. It was a neat realization and one that I hoped to keep.