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Old 05-28-2010, 23:00   #1
GratefulCitizen
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Pursuit of Happiness

Had some thoughts concerning the "pursuit of happiness" and would like a thread to explore the matter.


I'll go first.

PRICE OF SUCCESS

Was chatting with a coworker awhile back concerning different paths he was considering for his family.
He listed plenty of pros/cons for each choice.
This led to a reconsideration of the whole pro/con model.

IMO, the pro/con model leads to fear-driven decisions and missed opportunities.
Better than pro/con is the goal/price comparison.

If you wish to achieve a goal or objective, there is always a price.
A given goal is either worth the required price, or it is not.

Sometimes the price is hard to estimate.
Learn more about the price, or try to figure out potential bounds on the price.

Once the "prices" have been associated for various goals, and the goals have been detemined as worth the price or not, there is choice without fear.
Now there is just a list of goals (potentially mutually-exclusive) from which to choose.

All too often I see people running from what they "don't" want rather than pursuing what they "do" want.
Know the price of your choices and take ownership of them.
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Waiting for the perfect moment is a fruitless endeavor.
Make a decision, and then make it the right one through your actions.
"Whoever watches the wind will not plant; whoever looks at the clouds will not reap." -Ecclesiastes 11:4 (NIV)
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Old 05-29-2010, 11:00   #2
x SF med
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The first rule of economics is.... Everything has a cost. There is no getting around that, you just need to figure out if you can/want to afford that cost... be it time, money, material, or reputation.
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Too many people are looking for a magic bullet. As always, shot placement is the key. ~TR
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Old 08-25-2010, 23:07   #3
sofmed
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I have often seen that the discomfort of change itself is the price too many are unwilling to pay. They just don't have the intestinal fortitude it takes to push through the uncomfortable process of change. This in and of itself can be a major road block, and is more than likely the main reason so many in our society today are unsuccessful in their pursuit of happiness.
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Old 08-26-2010, 00:03   #4
dr. mabuse
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Count the cost, pay the price, reap the reward.
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"The difference is that back then, we had the intestinal fortitude to do what we needed to in order to preserve our territorial sovereignty and to protect the citizens of this great country, and today, we do not." TR

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Old 09-02-2010, 06:26   #5
sofmed
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Quote:
Originally Posted by dr. mabuse View Post
Count the cost, pay the price, reap the reward.
I'll toss off a nice shot of 12 yr old single malt scotch to that one!
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Woe be unto the day when the things of wonder and light become thought of as profane, and things profane are viewed as light and wondrous.

'The true soldier fights not because he hates what is in front of him, but because he loves what is behind him.' G. K. Chesterton
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Old 09-28-2010, 17:17   #6
GratefulCitizen
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Nothing ventured, nothing gained

Persistence and willingness to take risks is required for success.
Unfortunately, the public school system teaches otherwise.
The school system tends to punish mistakes and thereby discourages risk-taking and exploration.

Mistakes will be made. Setbacks will happen.
These failures are learning experiences.


Thomas Watson Sr., president of IBM from 1914 to 1956:
“It’s quite simple, really. Double your rate of failure.
You’re thinking of failure as the enemy of success. But it isn’t at all.”


Legendary running coach Joe Vigil:
75% of all decisions are wrong.
The people who retain their core values after making wrong decisions are the ones who succeed. (paraphrased)
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Waiting for the perfect moment is a fruitless endeavor.
Make a decision, and then make it the right one through your actions.
"Whoever watches the wind will not plant; whoever looks at the clouds will not reap." -Ecclesiastes 11:4 (NIV)
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Old 02-01-2011, 14:31   #7
Whipperwill
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How are you to know success if you don't have failure to compare it to? Like you guys say failures are learning opportunities. I don't know everything, far from it. One thing I have learned through my failures is how great my success feel after them. You cherish them more I think. Just a thought.
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Old 02-18-2011, 22:28   #8
GratefulCitizen
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Have a close friend who made an interesting distinction when it comes to overcoming difficulties.
He distinguishes between tasks that are "hard" and tasks that "suck".

When a task is "hard" it is difficult/unenjoyable and the outcome is in doubt.
When a task "sucks" it is difficult/unenjoyable but the outcome is not really in doubt, given persistence.

Finishing an unknown distance ruck march in under the prescribed time would be hard.
Finishing it would suck, but the outcome is not really in doubt, given persistence.

Most of the unenjoyable tasks in life just suck.
Few are actually hard.
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Waiting for the perfect moment is a fruitless endeavor.
Make a decision, and then make it the right one through your actions.
"Whoever watches the wind will not plant; whoever looks at the clouds will not reap." -Ecclesiastes 11:4 (NIV)

Last edited by GratefulCitizen; 02-18-2011 at 22:28. Reason: .
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