Liz Strauss at Successful Blog

Thinking, writing, business ideas … You’re only a stranger once.

May 21, 2007

What If We’re Supposed to Be Happy?

ME Liz Strauss wrote this at 6:02 am

Consider this

From one of my all-time favorite books.

It’s the prologue, handwritten on lined paper. Each paragraph is numbered.

24. And hearing, the Master was glad, and gave thanks and came down from the hill top humming a little mechanic’s song. And when the throng pressed him with its woes, beseeching him to heal for it and learn for it and feed it nonstop from his understanding and to entertain it with his wonders he smiled upon the multitude and said pleastantly unto them, “I quit.”

25. For a moment the multitude was stricken dumb with astonishment.

26. And he said unto them, “If a man told God that he wanted most of all to help the suffering world, no matter the price to himself, and God answered and told him what he must do, should the man do as he is told?”

27. “Of course, Master!” cried the many. “It should be pleasure for him to suffer the tortures of hell itself, should God ask it!”

28. “No matter what those tortures, no matter how difficult the task?”

29. “Honor to be hanged, glory to be nailed to a tree and burned, if so be that God has asked,” said they.

30. “And what would you do,” the Master said unto the multitude, “if God spoke directly to your face and said, ‘I COMMAND THAT YOU BE HAPPY IN THE WORLD, AL LONG AS YOU LIVE.’ What would you do then?” –Richard Bach, Illusions: The Adventures of a Reluctant Messiah

Is it easier to be unhappy, downtrodden, beat-up and to have a low opinion of ourselves? What if we’re meant to enjoy the good things, our good friends, and to share without shame the talents that we have? Imagine the ones we haven’t explored.

We could have it all backwards. Ever thought about that?

If we admitted how good we are at doing things, how much more good could we get done?

–ME “Liz” Strauss
Check out the Work with Liz!! page in the sidebar.


Filed under Motivation/Inspiration, Successful Blog |



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28 Comments to “What If We’re Supposed to Be Happy?”

  1. May 21st, 2007 at 6:36 am
    Susan Cartier Liebel said

    Unfortunately, we hear cliches like misery loves company…everyone wants to talke about their miseries because we can supposedly relate, feel superior or smug if we aren’t unhappy. But seldom does one (other than our mothers) want to hear how happy we are with our life, our loves, our health, our decisions because it makes them feel unhappy. You can say, ‘just hang out with those who love you and appreciate you and want you to be happy.” I do. But this is a tall order in a world of people that are generally just not happy….and simply will put on a facade of happiness for you while begruding you the same.

  2. May 21st, 2007 at 6:40 am
    ME Strauss said

    Hi Susan!
    I hear you. You make a sound point.

    Generally others just don’t want us to be happy . . . I’m afraid that is true. It seems somehow, some folks think if I am happy they cannot be. So I get to fear being happy, because I know people will want to “take me down.”

    If I hurt, often folks will want take care of me. It takes courage to be happy.

  3. May 21st, 2007 at 8:11 am
    Robyn said

    Liz, we happen to be in sync with our posts today. Of course, with our unique gifts and talents our posts took different views on the topic. Hee’s the quote as I began…

    “Now and then it’s good to pause in our pursuit of happiness and just be happy.” Guillaume Apollinaire.

    Here’s the post

    http://brainbasedbiz.blogspot.com/2007/05/play-to-recharge-your-brain.html

  4. May 21st, 2007 at 8:16 am
    ME Strauss said

    Hi Robyn,
    Thanks for sharing another point of view on happiness and that lovely quote.

    What is one person’s “unique gifts and talents” is another’s “weirdness and curiosity.” Thank you for being the first of the two. :)

  5. May 21st, 2007 at 10:02 am
    Katie Baird said

    Synchronicity is what has given me many of my favorite people and activities. So, my personal theory is that happy, fulfilled people seem to find one another while doing the things that make them happy.

    Interestingly (to me, anyway!) is that I was just sitting here on the edge of some kind of frantic mode, thinking to myself, how can I possibly DO all the things that bring joy. Life gets kind of crowded and you just can’t hike and garden and work and parent and kayak and read and do photography, etc., etc., all the time and do any of it well.

    So, then with one more cup of caffeine in hand I decided that today’s joy would just have to emanate from my ususal hike with dog, which I would gt to 15 minutes or so of Stumbleupon while simultaneously seeing my Newsfire (feed reader) had brought to my attention this morning.

    Then I did a double take: I happened to be reading THIS post at the same time that Stumbleupon delivered up this self-same blog on my second computer’s montor.

    Synchronicity does it again. Thanks, Liz!

  6. May 21st, 2007 at 12:49 pm
    ME Strauss said

    Hi Katie!
    Wow! I’m a synchronicity fan myself. I’m glad to meet another one any day of the week. :)

    Sounds like you have a lovely day planned, anyday that includes the word joy is a great one.

    You’re not a stranger anymore.

  7. May 21st, 2007 at 6:20 pm
    Jeff Brown said

    I was taught as a very young man, and have found it to be true - Happiness is a state of mind that comes into existence exclusively through a conscious decision.

    In other words - As you think, therefore you are.

    As a matter of fact, all things good, bad, and ugly originated as a thought in someone’s mind. The rest is ribbon and lace.

  8. May 21st, 2007 at 6:25 pm
    ME Strauss said

    Hi Jeff,
    You said it. As you think, therefore you are Gosh that means we should pay attention to where our thoughts wander and what kind of snap judgments we might jump to. How quickly one thought closes out so many others. I could be closing my mind just by not letting a new thought come in.

    I choose hope and happiness.

  9. May 21st, 2007 at 6:34 pm
    Jeff Brown said

    I think our ‘thought moderation’ button is the most important widget our minds have. :) Keeping our minds on whatever prize we choose to pursue is what gets us there more quickly and safely.

    This blog seems to promote that kind of thought discrimination. I’ve found it to be among the most challenging skills to master. I’m not there yet, but see myself there very soon.

    How ’bout next Tuesday? :)

  10. May 21st, 2007 at 6:37 pm
    ME Strauss said

    Oh? You think of it as thought moderation. hmmm. I think of it as open-thoughtedness — leaving space between thoughts for other thoughts to find room to slide in. :)

  11. May 21st, 2007 at 7:21 pm
    Jeff Brown said

    Thoughts not found to be either positive or productive must be moderated or replaced. Right?

  12. May 21st, 2007 at 7:24 pm
    ME Strauss said

    Maybe or maybe they could be discussed, twisted, rearranged, turned over, decorated, put with a picture, and inside a frame. :)

  13. May 21st, 2007 at 7:27 pm
    Jeff Brown said

    That sounds good to me - and it doesn’t require the thought to be moderated. (I think)

  14. May 21st, 2007 at 7:29 pm
    ME Strauss said

    I never want to moderate your thoughts, Jeff. They’re too unique and valuable. :)

  15. May 21st, 2007 at 7:31 pm
    Jeff Brown said

    I understand your point. How do you suggest one deals with a negative or counter-productive thought?

  16. May 21st, 2007 at 7:33 pm
    ME Strauss said

    Why, Jeff, outwit it; outthink it; disarm and disable it, with all of the kindness and hospitability that one saloonkeeper’s daughter could possibly muster. :)

  17. May 21st, 2007 at 8:15 pm
    Carma Dutra said

    It is really back to the basics. Change your thoughts, Change the world. I don’t know if that is a correct quote but I have another one that I like and it is about change.

    “You can’t solve a problem with the same mind that created it.” Albert Einstein.

    Jeff Liz is right. Sometimes when a negative thought seems to be prominent and pushing all my positive thoughts away, I just say outloud “Get behind me. Go Away”.

    I like the idea of us being able to rearrange our thoughts

  18. May 21st, 2007 at 8:52 pm
    ME Strauss said

    Hi Carma!
    What a great Einstein quote. I’d never heard that one!

    Thoughts are like puzzles to me. Move them around and you get a whole new picture.

    Jeff was only playing, Carma. He does that often with me when we talk. :)

  19. May 21st, 2007 at 8:58 pm
    Jeff Brown said

    Since it’s a brand new resident in my mind, and totally unwelcome, I prefer quick and painless assassination. It serves as a warning to other negative and/or counter-productive thoughts to go elsewhere.

    Negative thoughts, I believe, can be trained out of us by vigilant and disciplined positive thinking. You’re a stellar example of nothing but positive thinking. Your blog policy is to be nice. If that policy is used as a metaphor, a continuous violator would be permanently removed - access denied forever. I think that policy is fair, effective, and is a great metaphor for how I think about unwelcome thoughts.

    Make enough of those naughty thoughts disappear without a trace, and pretty soon they stop showing up. :)

    In the end, we’re saying the same thing. You just prefer to frame it into something soft and cuddly, whereas I like to think of crushing their spirit. :)

  20. May 21st, 2007 at 9:01 pm
    ME Strauss said

    So, if I’m hearing you, together we would softly crush their spirits . . . works for me. :)

  21. May 21st, 2007 at 9:33 pm
    Jeff Brown said

    You can crush ‘em your way, and i’ll crush ‘em my way. :) Although working together is always been a lot more fun. :)

  22. May 21st, 2007 at 9:36 pm
    ME Strauss said

    Hey Jeff. Is that something like . . . you do an orange crush and I’ll do a grape? :)

  23. May 21st, 2007 at 9:43 pm
    Jeff Brown said

    There ya go.

  24. May 21st, 2007 at 9:47 pm
    GP said

    what a great aha… maybe we do have it all bassackwards… It’s so ingrained that when life’ stuff happens’… happiness goes out the window. Sometimes it’s tuff when you’re loved ones be it human or equine are suffering.

    Then what?
    GP in Montana

  25. May 21st, 2007 at 10:17 pm
    ME Strauss said

    Hey GP!
    Then you got good reason not to be so happy, but to look for ways to make them happier. Giving happiness away is a good thing at a time like that. :)

  26. May 22nd, 2007 at 12:16 pm
    GP said

    Thanx… I needed that.
    http://fishcreekhouse.blogspot.com/2007/05/you-might-just-be-from-montana.html

    GP in Montana

  27. May 22nd, 2007 at 1:58 pm
    ME Strauss said

    Oh GP!
    Thanks for the link. Too much fun from you. :)

  28. June 3rd, 2007 at 11:02 am
    Empowering Links: Week of 3rd June - Life Coaches said

    [...] to himself, and God answered and told him what he must do, should the man do as he is told?” Liz shares a parable from one of her favorite books of all [...]

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