Does Less Ambition Make You Happier – But Also Less Useful?

Ambition, as we have seen this week, can be a mixed blessing. Edison said poignantly, “If I had not had so much ambition and not tried so many things, I probably would have been happier, but less useful.” Is that the tradeoff: Give up happiness for being useful? Do you think Edison’s ambition was for […]

“My One Regret In Life Is That I Am Not Someone Else.” ~ Woody Allen

We humans have often beaten ourselves up based on comparisons that we make of ourselves with others. Comparison, skillfully used, can be highly beneficial. Yet, if unskillfully used, comparison causes enormous self-inflicted pain. Woody Allen said, “My one regret in life is that I am not someone else.” Have you ever thought that someone else […]

Ending “Pre-Emptive Strikes” Against Ourselves

There was a very bright woman in my high school French class in senior year who, each time we had a test, would announce dramatically that she was going to fail. Inevitably, she would get an “A,” and usually the best grade in the class. She taught me about what I call “pre-emptive strikes” – […]

Can Money Be Part of a Happy Life?

It’s been a fascinating week discussing our relationship to MONEY. All week, we’ve acknowledged that money doesn’t buy happiness. Today, a little different approach: We’ll conclude today considering how Greenbacks can be part of a happy life. Colonel Sanders said, “There’s no reason to be the richest man in the cemetery.” There can be tremendous […]

Money Makes the World Go ‘Round?

There’s a line in “Cabaret”: “Money makes the world go ’round.” This is a prevalent . . . and potentially troublesome . . . belief. Is it possible that we have it wrong in our culture when we act as though money can buy happiness? Have love and money ever intersected in your life? I […]

Money Is Simply a Medium of Exchange

This week, we’re discussing the role and impact of money in our lives. Benjamin Franklin said, “Money never made a man happy yet, nor will it. The more a man has, the more he wants. Instead of filling a vacuum, it makes one.” Money is obviously required to provide at least the basics in life. […]