The Pursuit of Happiness
It comes in two versions, positive and negative, but it’s still the same question. I just want to be happy. I’m just not happy. Both convey a lack of satisfaction with the way my life is turning out. They also reveal an important underlying assumption that I should be happy, that being happy indicates that my life is going well. In a recent interview with Brett McKay on The Art of Manliness podcast about his new book The Depths, The Evolutionary Origins of the Depression
Making The Hard Choices
There’s a great scene toward the end of A League of Their Own where Gina Davis’ character is preparing to leave the team before the season’s over. She tells Tom Hank’s character, “It just got too hard.” Tom Hank’s character leans in and responds with this classic line, “It’s supposed to be hard. If it wasn’t hard, everyone would do it. The hard is what makes it great.” I understand they are talking about baseball but their words aptly describe change and the reason why so
Filling The Void
Change initially creates a void. Whether you are making life changes to achieve a particular goal or recovering from an addictive behavior or taking steps to move your life forward to what you believe is the next level, you will experience a void. Old behaviors and the friendships associated with them have filled your life and your time for years, so when you begin to change your behaviors your circle of friends will change along with them. As friends and family linked to
But Is It Worth It?
Change is hard and involves a lot of work. There’s no way to candy coat it. And candidly, if I had known what it would take I might not have undertaken it. From where I was half way through the process to this point it was a good thing I didn’t know how much more there was to do. I was in the middle of the hardest part and couldn’t yet see how things would turn out. More than a few times I was tempted to bag the whole thing and go start over, a new life with someone new,