The Perspective Problem
"They're going to be so happy". "They look so happy". "I bet you'll be so happy". We say and hear this all the time- but what does it mean ? To me, happy is that 10 year old on Christmas morning feeling- pure elation........nobody feels that way all the time. Even billionaires get pissed off and have bad days. I'm coming to think that "happy" is not a state of mind but a state of transition between places.
With that in mind, I've been successful at recreating the 10 year old on Christmas day feeling almost every day on this trip. I'm floating in front of Nevis right now. I'm content. I'm definitely enjoying myself. But whenever I want that super-charged happy feeling I think about what I COULD be doing now back in my old life............how about sitting on an American Eagle flight to DFW with my knees right under my chin and a 300 lb guy with a cold next to me for 2 1/2 hours. Bamm..........the "content" feeling is replaced with giddy elation.
They ran out of warm chocolate croissants at my patisserie in St. Barths..........now I have to settle for a chocolate almond muffin...........is that anger I feel welling up inside me? Disappointment maybe? OK, quick.........I could be skidding across that icy road in Minnesota and down an embankment into a corn field.......15 degrees out and no jacket..........corn jammed in the wheel wells. Wow.......that chocolate almond muffin really sounds good now.
Anyway, the science of mood management is in its infancy. I'll report back on further developments.
With that in mind, I've been successful at recreating the 10 year old on Christmas day feeling almost every day on this trip. I'm floating in front of Nevis right now. I'm content. I'm definitely enjoying myself. But whenever I want that super-charged happy feeling I think about what I COULD be doing now back in my old life............how about sitting on an American Eagle flight to DFW with my knees right under my chin and a 300 lb guy with a cold next to me for 2 1/2 hours. Bamm..........the "content" feeling is replaced with giddy elation.
They ran out of warm chocolate croissants at my patisserie in St. Barths..........now I have to settle for a chocolate almond muffin...........is that anger I feel welling up inside me? Disappointment maybe? OK, quick.........I could be skidding across that icy road in Minnesota and down an embankment into a corn field.......15 degrees out and no jacket..........corn jammed in the wheel wells. Wow.......that chocolate almond muffin really sounds good now.
Anyway, the science of mood management is in its infancy. I'll report back on further developments.