Ask yourself whether you are happy', observed the philosopher John Stuart Mill, 'and you cease to be so.' At best, it would appear, happiness can only be glimpsed out of the corner of an eye, not stared at directly.
Oliver BurkemanRead
Uncertainty is where things happen. It is where the opportunities - for success, for happiness, for really living - are waiting.
Interpretation
Embracing uncertainty opens the door to new opportunities for happiness and success.
This quote emphasizes the importance of uncertainty as a fertile ground for growth and opportunity. It suggests that great things such as success and genuine happiness often arise from situations where we cannot predict the outcome, encouraging us to embrace the unknown rather than fear it, as it is within this unpredictability that we can truly experience life.
In practice
During a motivational speech about personal growth.
Ask yourself whether you are happy', observed the philosopher John Stuart Mill, 'and you cease to be so.' At best, it would appear, happiness can only be glimpsed out of the corner of an eye, not stared at directly.
Reassurance can actually exacerbate anxiety: when you reassure your friend that the worst-case scenario he fears probably won't occur, you inadvertently reinforce his belief that it would be catastrophic if it did. You are tightening the coil of his anxiety, not loosening it. All to often, the Stoics point out, things will not turn out for the best.
True security lies in the unrestrained embrace of insecurity - in the recognition that we never really stand on solid ground, and never can.
The effort to feel happy is often precisely the thing that makes us miserable. And that it is out constant efforts to eliminate the negative - insecurity, uncertainty, failure, or sadness - that is what causes us to feel so insecure, anxious, uncertain, or unhappy.
If we're going to bring out the best in people, we, too, need to sow seeds of encouragement.
Life, Stormy says, is not about how fast you run or even with what degree of grace. It's about perseverance, about staying on your feet and slogging forward no matter what.
People might not get all they work for in this world, but they must certainly work for all they get.
If you embrace possibility thinking, your dreams will go from molehill to mountain size, and because you believe in possibilities, you put yourself in position to achieve them.
I believe every person has the ability to achieve something important, and with that in mind I regard everyone as special.
When the sun is shining I can do anything; no mountain is too high, no trouble too difficult to overcome.
Subscribe for the occasional hand-picked quote. No noise.