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Dating Advice: Love Shouldn't Hurt
"Because when pain has been intertwined with love and closeness, it's very difficult to believe that love and closeness can be experienced without pain." -Gloria Steinem, "Revolution from Within." If you tend to attract men who...
Help Your Marriage Survive The Rough Spots
Every marriage has its ups and downs, its rough periods. Even in the best of circumstances, there are going to be difficult times. People change. Circumstances change. Emotions change. Over time, the natural ebb and flow of everyday...
Survivor of Abuse
Women all over the world experience physical and emotional pain from their abusers. So alone and afraid to tell anyone what is happening. Each time it happens, the numbness is stronger. Emotionally drained--you can't feel the physical pain anymore....
Youe Can Find More Happiness Through Your Work
Our mantra is “if you keep doing what you’ve been doing, you’ll keep getting what you’ve been getting.” With that in mind, let’s talk about “happiness.” If you're into professional development, you've heard of Martin Seligman, Ph.D., who...
Your Kid's Career - Whose Choice?
A strange thing happened to me today. Or more precisely, a strange thought occurred. You see, my eldest son helped me install a new kitchen. He was the expert handyman. Me? Well, I was the 'gofor': "Dad, could you go for this ?" ...
 
The Red Balloon of Happiness

Just when you think you know it all, some 17-month old child comes along and teaches you another valuable life lesson.

Little Lady lost her favorite ball. There are few things that bring this 17-month-old more joy than playing with her favorite ball. And, of course, we want our daughter to have all the happiness she can get.

So we headed out to the store to replace the missing ball. Little Lady enjoyed the outing, since there were so many exciting things to pull off shelves. And when we reached the ball aisle, she nearly jumped for joy. (OK, more like raced to the bin and started covering the floor with her joy, one bounce at a time.)

As we left the aisle, Little Lady was happy and smiling. She held her replacement ball in her hands as we walked up to the cash. While waiting to pay, Little Lady caught sight of a red balloon that had obviously been used for some promotion, but was now wandering aimlessly around the floor like a lost puppy.

If you think a ball can bring happiness, wait 'til you see the sparkle in the eye of a toddler who has just found her very own red balloon. Pure joy! Of course, she adopted the balloon immediately and clung to it all the way back to the car. Did she want to hold the ball? No way. She had a balloon!

I couldn't help but marvel at how she valued the free, fragile balloon more than the sturdy ball I for which had just paid good money. Is there a lesson we can learn for self-actualization? Here are the possible lessons that immediately occurred to me:

1. Why bother having a thick skin, if your daughter prefers thin skins?
2. If you drift aimlessly long enough, you might get adopted.
3. Money can't buy the most important things in life (happiness, joy, smiles, balloons,


etc.)
4. Your child can see value where you cannot, so listen to what she says.

I figure at least two of these are valuable lessons that can add happiness to a person's life. Little Lady teaches me self-actualization lessons daily now, and I am learning to listen with head and heart.

How often do we value the wrong things? The things that cost the most? How hard to we work to earn all that extra income to buy things we simply do not need. Anyone reading this probably has more than she will ever need, and yet don't we all want more anyway?

Suppose we chose to have less of the things money can buy, and instead chose to have more time? More time to spend with our family? More time to spend with ourselves? More time to just be? What if we are giving up the red balloon chasing after the ball?

My wife and I made a big decision a few months ago. We gave up the condo in the city for a big ol' house in the country. Our red balloon was space to raise a family in a much less noisy and stressed-out environment. The ball we gave up was the "glamour" of city living and a fancy condo.

Assuming we can make a living from my book, my ezine, my web site and whatever other work-from-home projects I take on, we get to keep the red balloon.

I invite you to look carefully at your life. Ask what truly brings you meaning. Then ask yourself if you could have more of that if you spent less time and effort on activities that don't bring you meaning but just fill your time.

Enjoy your red balloon.

About the Author

David Leonhardt is the Happy Guy, speaker, author, and publisher of "Your Daily Dose of Happiness" at http://www.TheHappyGuy.com/daily-happiness-free-ezine.html. Visit him at http://www.TheHappyGuy.com.

 

Happiness (1998)
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Happiness - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
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en.wikipedia.org
 
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:: Authentic Happiness :: Using the new Positive Psychology
Authentic Happiness has almost 400000 registered users around the world. You are welcome to use all of the resources on this website for free. ...
www.authentichappiness.sas.upenn.edu
 
Welcome to The Happiness Project
The Happiness Project - Official Website of Dr. Robert Holden and The Happiness Project - as featured in the award winning BBC documentary 'How to be Happy'
www.happiness.co.uk
 
World Database of Happiness
A continuous register of scientific research on subjective appreciation of life directed by Ruut Veenhoven, Erasmus University Rotterdam.
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An evolutionary theory of happiness must clarify the connection between the ... The cybernetic theory of happiness says that the presence of these three ...
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BBC NEWS | Programmes | Happiness Formula
Visit BBC News for up-to-the-minute news, breaking news, video, audio and feature stories. BBC News provides trusted World and UK news as well as local and ...
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Happiness Foundation - Home
Copyright 2001-2006, Happiness Foundation.
www.happiness.org
 
So what do you have to do to find happiness? - Sunday Times ...
Behind the neoclassical facade of the Royal Institution, in London's Mayfair, the latest in a 200-year series of lectures was taking place in a hushed ...
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CATHOLIC ENCYCLOPEDIA: Happiness
The primary meaning of this term in all the leading European languages seems to involve the notion of good fortune, good chance, good happening.
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TIME Magazine: Mind & Body: Happiness
Happiness is not cozy. It gleams most vividly against a background of black ... Most people find happiness in family connections and friendships ...
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Happiness
Ask Dr. Kenner, clinical psychologist, any personal question toll-free. Happiness has a rational basis.
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האפינס happiness
HAPPINESS Written and Directed by Todd Solondz 1. EXT. HAPPY'S RESTAURANT - NIGHT. 1. ... JOY To happiness. EVERYONE ELSE To happiness! Glasses clink. ...
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Dr. Seligman has developed a Reflective Happiness Program that ... Dr. Seligman & Reflective Happiness website featured in TIME Magazine cover story [more. ...
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