YES, HAPPINESS IS A CHOICE–So Shape Goals, Strategies and Tactics to Reach It
Happiness is a choice. You are positive, or negative, or somewhere in between. Happiness is enhanced by a positive mental attitude – by developing a strong awareness of what’s good about right now, supplemented by an attitude of gratitude.
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Assuming that one’s physiological needs are met, as is the usual case in the USA – happiness is then a function of satisfying one’s psychological needs for:  growth, achievement, recognition, responsibility, participation, and interesting work.
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Everyone has these needs, some more than others. For example, a person with a strong achievement need must accomplish things that he/she considers to be worthwhile. A strong growth-oriented person must feel he is better today than he was, say, a year ago or five years ago. Etc., Etc.
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To be happy, a person must clearly identify his/her primary needs, wants, and expectations – and develop compatible goals, objectives, tactics and strategies for achieving them.Â
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Goals may not be achievable – but they must give one a sense of direction in important categories of his/her life. Goals should be supported by achievable objectives, usually within a year or sooner. Tactics should support objectives and are short-term, attainable actions.Â
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Strategies are a series of important goals and decisions that affect the nature and the direction of one’s life – family, career, business, department, etc. in an expensive and/or irreversible manner. A guy/gal become a doctor – that’s strategic. On the other hand, if they take a maintenance position at a hospital, that’s tactical. A company locates a new plant in East Overshoe – that’s strategic. If it paints the manager’s office green – that’s tactical. Strategic decisions should be made or at least approved at the highest level. There should never be a strategic surprise.
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Unhappiness is often the result of inconsistent or unrealistic goal setting. A person want to be a philanthropist, but has a low-paying job/career. An individual wants to have a happy family life – but he runs around. A business person want to go to heaven, but he/she steals and exploits fellow humans.Â
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To be happy, one must set goals, objectives and strategies for each category of one’s life: personal development, family, career, security, religion, etc.
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Having a strategic understanding of the meaning and purpose of life will greatly enhance one’s opportunity for happiness. The wisdom of the ages tells us that God is love – and he who abides in love abides in God – and God in him. Those who live a life of love, in communion with God, in the personal presence of Jesus as their Divine Friend, tends to be happier than those who live an agnostic or atheist life.Â
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My personal philosophy is: In God we must trust . . . but we must always do our part – to secure and promote the truth and a better way – to protect our freedom and interests – and to defend the Judeo-Christian American-Way.
Image: https://www.flickr.com/photos/nebraskahelen/4295975670/