- The fastest 5-G Network,
- The cheapest airfare,
- The biggest burger,
- The smallest computer chip,
- The smartest student in the school,
- , etc., etc.
Everything is being “est-ed”!! Even the word “best” falls into this way of speaking – the best this or the best that.
There is a correlation here too. The way we speak reflects the way we think. It is often said that retirement is supposed to be the happiest time of one’s life. The quest for “the happiest” may be unrealistic.
I recently finished reading a book entitled “10% Happier” by Dan Harris. Harris was an ABC on-air news reporter and news anchor who was always living on the edge in a constant frantic search for hard-hitting, breaking news stories. This life style was too challenging for him to maintain, so he began searching for ways to find more balance in his life. He was searching for the answer to becoming the happiest he could be in order to be able to handle his stressful life style. Through his research he came to understand that inserting several different forms of meditation into his daily life helped him to become much calmer and more in control of his life. In his words, he was able to: “… tame the voice in my head, reduce stress without losing my edge and find self-help that actually works.” He also finally concluded that being “10% happier” in his life was much more rewarding than trying to become the happiest.
This is a lesson that any of us would do well to embrace. Let’s focus on being 10% healthier, 10% calmer, 10% better in our relationships with others. Maybe the way to enjoying the happiest time of our lives is to become 10% happier on a day-to-day basis.
Fortunately, being a member of PROBUS provides so many opportunities to become 10% happier in L.I.F.E. – through Learning, Involvement, Friends and Energy. Our active involvement in our club may be just what we have been seeking – and didn’t realize it.
“To be of use in this world is the only way to be happy.”
Hans Christian Anderson
Jim McKinlay,
President