Victor Schueller

“Happiness is not the absence of problems but the ability to deal with them.” ~H. Jackson Brown

I remember speaking with someone who was having difficulty with some co-workers, because she felt that her counterparts were so “hot and cold.”  One moment they had a sunny disposition; they were completely engaged and enthusiastic about their work and extremely happy.  It seemed that when her co-workers began to run into problems with their personal lives they acted as if nothing was right; they were irritable and grouchy, and they acted out at anyone who got in their way.

Their excuse for their behavior came in a clever slogan -- “I can’t be happy all the time!”

I won’t argue with that point.  It is very true that one cannot possibly be happy all the time.  However, does the fact that one cannot handle their problems in an effective way give anyone an excuse to act out on their counterparts?  Just because one is having a bad day, does that mean that nobody can have a good day?

Happiness is a very superficial state to rely on as far as whether a day is classified as “good” or “bad.”  Optimism, for example, is a “deeper” and more of a permanent state that provides one with a positive outlook on things, even though things may go bad.

Let’s choose to rely less on whether we are happy or not, and l challenge you to maintain optimism that in the long run things will be okay.  The ability to effectively deal with our problems is the key to happiness, and it also has a great side effect – it provides us with positive self-esteem.  A positive self-esteem provides us with the confidence we need to remain optimistic about our future.

Let’s work to effectively deal with our problems.  When we do that, we’ll feel better and more confident.  When we feel better and more confident, we’ll be more optimistic!  When we’re more optimistic, let’s just face it – life is simply better for everyone!

Have a great day!

-Victor