Thanks for sending this article to me, David. You are right, it does feel a lot like my latest book! When you told me about it, I did not realize that you were the author. Great job, now let's keep it up. We make decisions every day … we may as well make them good ones.

Great post Dave. Remember John Walsh and America’s Most Wanted! I look forward to your posts.

Opps…I found your RSS feed. I just subscribed. Thank you David.

Choices. Why do we choose one path over another? Is it true that we make most of our choices because of the short term or even immediate satisfaction or gratification? Do we live too much in the moment? Do we choose to smoke that cigarette, eat that snack, drink that beer, because it makes us feel good right now? We keep doing those things even though we know that the long term consequences of those choices could be “bad”. Does that mean the choice was “wrong” or “bad”? Are there “good/right” or “bad/wrong” choices?

I have made some interesting career choices that at the time many would have called questionable at best and more like downright stupid. But I wouldn’t have had the same life experiences, met the same people, had the same level of personal and professional growth that the “safe” choice would have provided.

The longer I live the more I decide I really LIKE life. Therefore today I try to make choices that will help me to live as long, happy and healthy a life as possible. The body is the temple of the soul. So I choose to eat right / eat less, drink mostly water and lots of it, exercise 30-90 minutes every day, get 8 hours of sleep every night, etc. Those are my current choices, my current path. It works for me right now.

Great post, Dave! I couldn’t agree more.

I personally manage my happiness by doing the following:
1) I constantly work to keep my own ego in check, A lot of the unhappiness in the world can be allowed to pass over us once we learn how to differentiate that part of us which is eternal from that part of us which is our ego. (Something Christ and the buddah strove to teach us.)
2) I keep in mind every day of my life that the universe gives us back the energy we send out. So many people don’t understand this and wonder why their lives are filled full of strife and drama. Send out positive energy, and you get it back in return.
3) And I constantly talk to the Man Upstairs and feel like I have a good relationship with Him.

Maybe food for thought for future posts? Great post! I look forward to future blogs.

Chris

Excellent first post, David. Your thoughts echo Buddha’s fundamental teaching- life is suffering. The “baggage” you refer to is our longing for permanence in an impermanent existence. Humans have the capacity to attain happiness but we flail at possessing all that we can while the solution evades us from within ourselves.

You don’t have to be Buddhist to appreciate this logic. Life is simple- remain in the moment, be a bearer of kindness and generosity, and cherish our brief time on Earth.

I look forward to future posts!

This is awesome! It’s true, we always have a choice how we react. I’ve been learning this lesson more and more. I’m really looking forward to reading more!

Thank you for your comment Suzanne. The choice becoming habit – well said.