I’m not telling you this to make you think about jumping off the nearest bridge;
instead I mean it in a much more contemplative way. Let’s first acknowledge that the
meaning we find in people, objects, and our own circumstances is subjective. These
things have no inherent meaning. Functional and dysfunctional behavior both result from
choices people make based on meanings they create. This also means that we have the
power to alter our perceptions, revising perceptions that bring us down and enhancing
those that help us. Your outlook on life is deeply entwined in your propensity for
success. Miserable blowhards can achieve, however they still wind up miserable.
That’s not success. Success is doing what you love and being happy about it.
To learn how to get a better handle on your perceptions, emotions, and behavior, it
is useful to look at how you think.