Happiness Information

Increase Your Happiness - Look Forward With Hindsight


Six months ago you had trouble finding your keys and were late for work. At the time, you felt agitated and upset. Chances are, you don't even remember the incident. Last year, at a business lunch, you spilled salad dressing on your shirt. You were so embarrassed when it happened but now you can just laugh at the whole episode.

Three years ago, you were on your way to the airport to leave for vacation. You got caught in a traffic jam and missed your plane. You were worried sick that your whole vacation would be ruined. However, when you finally arrived at the airport, the airline was able to get you and your family on a later flight. Your trip was wonderful and the traffic jam is a distant memory.

How often have you looked back on what seemed like misfortune at the time, and wondered how you could have been so aggravated? Has anyone ever said to you, "Remember when you were so upset about?" and you couldn't recall the incident they were referring to? Did you ever have a fight with someone and later couldn't remember what the conflict was about?

Undesirable or unpleasant circumstances and events are a part of living. Something breaks, you loose something, you're late, you embarrass yourself, you forget to do something, someone laughs at you, someone doesn't like you, you get into an argument, or your car breaks down.

Some circumstances you have control over, others you don't. Many people constantly get tripped up by the small annoying aspects of life. They expend far more emotional energy on them then is warranted. As a result, their enthusiasm for good and positive things declines.

Most feelings fade with time. If they don't disappear altogether, their intensity diminishes. The cliché that hindsight is 20/20 is recalled on a regular basis. So why not look forward with hindsight?

What exactly does this mean? You have already experienced the effect time has on your memory and feelings. In hindsight, you wonder why you were so upset. So view the present as if you were looking back on it from the future.

When faced with a stressful situation ask yourself, "How will I feel about this next week, next month, or next year?" Although your feelings may be very intense at the moment, will they last? Recall how time has soothed past events. Consider the big picture. In the overall scheme of things, will what you are confronting now matter as much in the future?

When faced with feelings of frustration, project yourself into the future. In the future, what you are currently facing is at best a faded memory. Next, reassess the significance of what you are now experiencing and put it into perspective.

Since memories and feelings are going to fade anyway, why not save yourself a lot of time and grief by not getting trapped initially? The main question to ask is "Will this matter to me later?" If the answer is no, why should you let it matter to you now?

That's how to look forward with hindsight. You view the events of today as if they were already in the past. Emotions diminish and fade with the passage of time and life goes on. Don't waste time on those things that won't matter to you later. Spend time on what does matter.

copyright 2005 Bryan Golden

Bryan Golden is a self-development and motivational expert, author, and adjunct professor. He is the author of "Dare to Live Without Limits," and writes a nationally syndicated newspaper column. For more information please visit: http://www.daretolivewithoutlimits.com or http://www.bryangolden.com


MORE RESOURCES:

Times Online

Rainy Manchester may need defending, but it scores highly in ...
Times Online, UK - Aug 27, 2008
The happiness league was created by researchers from the universities of Sheffield and Manchester after assessing data from the British Household Panel ...
Happiness Map Declares Powys The Winner Find a Property
Welsh county top of happiness map CBBC Newsround
Cheer up! You're in Wales Reuters UK
Scotsman - BBC News
all 23 news articles


Defamer.com

Inside A Pee Wee-Starring 'Happiness 2' and a Peter Gallagher ...
Defamer.com, CA - 5 hours ago
If the idea of a Happiness 2 makes you feel just this far from being completely hysterical 24 hours a day, why not meet its unlikely cast of Pee-Wee Herman, ...


Disgraced Pee-Wee returns in Solondz's Happiness 'sequel'
guardian.co.uk, UK - 13 hours ago
Variety also says that the new film will represent a companion piece, a "quasi-sequel" as it were, to Happiness, Solondz's jarring 1998 comedy about sexual ...
Solondz Plans Sequel To Happiness Empire Online
all 2 news articles


Why happiness is a postcode lottery
Independent, UK - Aug 27, 2008
It is the conclusion of a survey attempting to measure happiness across the country, not by focusing on income, health and quality of life in a given area, ...
Happiness is? Tell your library WalesOnline
Valleys is ‘second most miserable place in UK’ WalesOnline
Valleys are miserable? What a lot of nonsense WalesOnline
all 4 news articles


High energy prices getting you down? At least you're working
Bizjournals.com, NC - 7 hours ago
That's according to findings from the second annual SnagAJob.com Labor Happiness Index released on Wednesday. The job Web site found that 65 percent of US ...
A Kick in the Career: It's Labor Day, Get Back to Work! Huffington Post
all 11 news articles


Why our happiness is taking a dive
The Canberra Times, Australia - Aug 27, 2008
BY MICHAEL RUFFLES For the first time in seven years men are feeling better than women, but overall happiness is taking a dive as inflation hits the hip ...
Inflation deflating women: report ABC Online
Women aren't as upbeat as men Sydney Morning Herald
Rising prices to blame for misery Adelaidenow
all 163 news articles


Health Newstrack

Happiness may protect against cancer
The Australian, Australia - Aug 25, 2008
After questioning more than 600 women – include 255 breast cancer patients – about life experiences, happiness and depression, researchers found optimists ...
Research: Severe life events raise breast cancer risk Xinhua
Happiness 'can cut breast cancer risk by a quarter' Hindu Business Line
Happiness may protect against breast cancer, study suggests Telegraph.co.uk
Jerusalem Post - Irish Health
all 163 news articles


Huffington Post

Danish Happiness...Does It All Come Down To A Green Commute?
Huffington Post, NY - 9 hours ago
Once again, the Danes come out on top in the 2008 World Values Survey's happiness statistics. How is it that this chilly, windy nation of five-and-a-half ...


Nanny Cams bring moment of joy, pleasure and happiness to us.
3x24 - Your Newspaper and News Magazine, Germany - 1 hour ago
by Todd Martin We can add excitement to our life with the introduction of new devices which have taken its place instead of the old tools. ...


Why the world is a happier place
New Scientist (subscription), UK - 6 hours ago
Last month it pooled 25 years of data and found that since 1981, happiness has risen in 45 countries. The results challenge earlier studies that happiness ...

Happiness - Google News

home | site map
© 2006