Traditional behaviour models are crumbling in our midst. Old morality is
taking the blame for current problems, although often through spurious
argumentation. Never mind. Ethical decay has reached such an extent that
many parents have given up all attempts to provide moral guidelines to
their offspring.
Where are we headed? Should we conclude that
principles are relative? That happiness is unattainable through
individual action? That success is more dependent on luck than on
personal effort? To answer these questions, we must point out the
connection between personal effectiveness and happiness.
Rationality
establishes the basis for making productive decisions and developing
valuable skills. Even in an unfavourable environment, individuals who
possess strong values and motivation grow more effective with each
passing day. Principles are not luxuries, but practical tools that
enable progress and achievement.
Logic and consistency are the
keys to quick learning and rapid implementation. A well-organized mind
absorbs information more effectively than a mind affected by anxiety.
Ethical certainty nourishes psychological stability and personal
productivity.
Sustained personal growth relies on universal
ethical principles. Virtues such as openness, tolerance, and honesty
render individuals efficient and self-confident. Prosperity and
happiness result from consistent action in pursuit of sensible goals.
Nobody can predict the future accurately, but no matter how difficult
the situation becomes, rational individuals will do better than average.
There is too much noise in the world and too many offers
compete for our attention. We cannot accept every proposal that promises
to improve our condition. Focusing our efforts on becoming more
effective is a simple way to increase our chances of leading a more
satisfying life.
New fashions that entertain your spirit for a
while will distract you from important matters. We all want to
experience the fresh before it becomes stale, but do you want to waste
your days chasing the latest novelty? Leading a chaotic life is
self-destructing. Without focus and personal effectiveness, there can be
no real happiness.
Overcharging our agendas and accelerating our
life is the equivalent of a sugar-coated sedation. The pursuit of
faster results makes no sense if those are irrelevant to our long-term
goals. Actions that contradict our plans and ambitions rarely produce
beneficial consequences.
Empty pursuits cannot still human hunger
for happiness. Leading a meaningful life requires consistent ethical
values, long-term plans, and effective implementation. The link between
personal effectiveness and happiness cannot be denied.
The life
of the Ancient Roman writer Titus Livius (59 BC-17 AD) provides a good
illustration of how to be happy. When Titus Livius turned thirty-five, he
looked back at his life and realized that he had not accomplished much.
Like many Romans of good family, he had enjoyed a solid education, read
widely, done some travelling, and also a little writing.
He had
tried his hand intermittently at everything and achieved pretty much
nothing. Since his life lacked purpose and ambition, Titus Livius felt
ineffective and unhappy. He asked himself if he should continue living
in the same way. Was there something that he could do to give meaning to
his days?
The prevalent philosophies in Ancient Rome, stoicism
and hedonism, did not provide an answer to his questions. Hedonism
encourages man to live for the pleasures of the day and ignore long-term
consequences. Stoicism seldom provides other contentment than the quiet
acceptance of misfortune.
We do not know what made Titus Livius
change his ways, but we do know the results. Instead of continuing to
pursue random interests, he conceived a wide-ranging project that would
take him decades to accomplish. Instead of wasting time in abstract
speculation, he fixed himself an ambitious goal and figured out how to
accomplish it.
By the time he turned thirty-six, he had already
formulated how he was going to spend the rest of his life. He would
write a History of Rome unlike anything ever written before. He would
speak not only of facts, but also of heroes. He would recount not only
events, but also the values that had inspired them.
Titus Livius'
plan comprised researching hundreds of documents and writing 150 books,
an enterprise that nowadays would keep busy a complete university
department. He did most of the work himself and it took him four
decades.
Apparently, he was very happy devoting his time to such a
demanding undertaking. Such devotion to a single long-term purpose is
essential to improve a man's personal effectiveness and psychological
well-being.
When Titus Livius died, he was 77 years old. His only
regret must have been that he had not started his project earlier,
since he only managed to complete 142 books out of the 150 that he had
initially planned.
Do you have similar objectives and plans in
your life? Have you established long-term goals for yourself? Do you
have a strategy that consistently favours your personal growth? Are you
becoming more effective at what you do day after day? The answers to these questions will show you how to be happy.
[Text: http://johnvespasian.blogspot.com]
[Image by striatic under Creative Commons Attribution License. See the license terms under http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/3.0/us]
Tuesday, 28 August 2012
How to be happy through rational living - Free e-book presentation
A free e-book presentation of my work “The 10 Principles of Rational Living” can be downloaded in this link
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