Achieving Happiness – Choose Practice Over Pursuit
Chances are, especially if you are from the United States, that when you read the title “the pursuit of” you thought of the phrase “life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness.”
These lovely words came from the pen of Thomas Jefferson and are a part of the U.S. Declaration of Independence from Great Britain.
As our use of language changes though, the original meaning of that phrase has been lost. When Jefferson wrote “the pursuit of happiness” he meant something similar to “the practice of happiness.”
Think about the whole phrase this way – “life, liberty and the practice of happiness.”
I was in Washington, D.C., enjoying a latte at the world’s favorite coffee spot (Starbucks) and having a fascinating conversation with a friend of mine, Lana Kim, who is a political refugee from Russia. She was telling me about her latest endeavor, writing a book. When I asked her why she hadn’t done it sooner she said, “I lacked confidence. I didn’t believe that I could do it.” 
Have you ever had something taken away from you only to realize how much you appreciated it after it was gone?
Failure!
The science of physics recognizes two kinds of inertia – both of which can be related to procrastination.
Often when we get in touch with our most heartfelt and hopeful dreams what may also surface are some of our doubts. There is an important relationship between (what I refer to as) the Dreamer and the Doubter that live inside of us. It is useful and necessary to develop skills for dealing with our doubt; otherwise your dreams could very well get squelched.
When I began searching for the secrets of success many years ago, I discovered an interesting principle: success leaves tracks. A wise man who had studied success for more than 50 years concluded that the greatest success principle of all was, “learn from the experts.”
I believe that the great NFL Hall of Fame coach, Vince Lombardi, had it right when he said, “The quality of a person’s life is in direct proportion to their commitment to excellence, regardless of their chosen field of endeavor.”