happiness in the time of 1984

This is a very old draft, obviously. I had a lot more to say that’s lost to time and TBIs. Sadly, it’s all still relevant.

Often, the worse things are, the more vehemently people are encouraged to be sunny.

The most recent findings, for example, are that wealth makes you happy but children do not. [By recent, this was published in 2009; and by findings, of course I mean what is obvious to all.]

The most inspiring people are those least obsessed with their own happiness, especially those who stride confidently across the globe to create, evoke change, or wrest from life what they will.

Eleanor Roosevelt believed happiness “is not a goal, it’s a byproduct.” I think she might be right.

more media lessons

In the “big deal for me” category, I was on Fox Business News live last Friday with David Asman (obviously this is an up-to-the-minute blog). And if anyone saw it, they saw my virgin TV appearance. See? I have NOT done everything before!

It wasn’t a bad experience at all. I was slated for five minutes starting at 4:40pm Eastern. I knew what they wanted to discuss and I rehearsed answers to possible questions. Well, Governor Arnold Schwarzenegger was on right before me. I could hear him when I got miked up. He was somewhere on the California coast holding forth on the environment (no to oil drilling off the coast of California, yes to drilling in Alaska – what an environmentalist). He talked and talked. He wouldn’t shut up. He ate into my minutes. Like he doesn’t get enough press time or something.

My segment turned out to be shared with a guy who had run a New York agency before. He was very chatty. Guys are an extremely talkative species. But maybe it was his first time too. I don’t know.

We got about 3-4 minutes. Thanks Arnie.

But I did learn some lessons.

Read more