Happiness for Beginners

by Katherine Center

“The things you think about determine the things you think about”—meaning the more you focus on something, the more likely your brain is to focus on it.

“I gave you Jake because you’re headstrong and accident prone, and he’s our medic and I trust him to patch you up. I gave you Jake because you’re the best map reader we’ve got, and he’s damn near blind. And I gave you Jake because you absolutely never believe in yourself—and he finds a way to believe in you every damn day.”

I had finally come to understand that not getting what you want is actually the trick to it all. Because not getting what you want forces you to appreciate what you already have. I finally got that if you were always in a state of longing you could never truly get satisfied,

He taught you something. He taught you how to let somebody love you a little bit. That lesson right there is enough to change your life.”

Richard O’Connor called Happy at Last: The Thinking Person’s Guide to Finding Joy.