Pursuit of happiness
Since forever, or that I means I don't know when I didn't think this, 'I just wanted to be happy'. There were moments when I had grand plans of what I thought would make me happy but really underneath everything when push came to shove my decision was I just wanted to be happy. This has meant when I didn't know which path to take, which step to make it was tough. I didn't have a clear framework or guide about wanting to be famous, or rich or chef or something specific I wanted a bit of everything and to be taller as well..
I wanted to be happy not because I want to bliss out and live in a hippy love world, more because it was in short supply when I was a little person. I guess I have always known from experience that life can be hard that it can break your heart and so I just wanted to be happy. On many days now, I have those moments I am incredibly grateful for life and feel incredibly lucky that the cards have fallen my way.Just like I have won the lottery that my life can be filled with so much good stuff. I still wonder how did I get here.....
Look some people would see my life as a little crazy, too full, too hard - I work too much; I don't sleep enough; I have time consuming art projects that suck all my time but in the end it is how i got to this point. I still feel bewildered that I got here really, that I don't have the tears that used to flow too often, the sadness, the fear and everything else. I know I have worked hard at it 'doing' and that I have come to accept that I need to compromise in my goals and be less self punishing but what makes it so.
I always want to learn more about the subject of meaning and happiness, so as a New Years treat when I was in Oxford I purchased three books:
The Social Animal - By David Brooks
Happiness - Lessons from a new science By David Layard
Is That Alll There is? Thoughts on the meaning of life and leaving a legacy By Julia Neuberger
I have finished the Social Animal and love understanding more about how we work as human beings how much is genetics, how much is environment, how our unconscious mind impacts who we are and what we do. This text also challenges the individualistic paradigm that the contemporary world is and starts to suggest some alternatives.
Happiness also challenges the current paradigm of individualism has put into words my own experience and makes me ever thankful for my Mum and Dad for giving me the big empathy button that has lead me to have so much of my life to be about making a positive difference to people's lives for my day job. To be kind and compassionate and to have a strong moral code, this scientifically has set me up to be a happier person.
Apparently, my art practice has given me meaning and long term investment is something that enables me to experience 'flow' time, an activity which you can get completely lost in in not ware of time. This too is a key factor to long term happiness according to the Social Animal.
So maybe not as much luck as I has imagined....... but I keep crossing my fingers as in a heart beat life could be different. For me now, I am going to challenge myself to create two side A4 with some of the learnings to help reinforce and remind me when I am unsure what step to make,
Maybe for you, Social Animal is a recommended read. Happiness a solid book but I am not sure it is 5 stars, it certainly gives some solid ideas on how policy can impact happiness overall and explores why we are richer but not happier as a western society so worthwhile.
Also you could check out the TED Talks By David Brooks, and I will let you know about the third book still to be read.
I wanted to be happy not because I want to bliss out and live in a hippy love world, more because it was in short supply when I was a little person. I guess I have always known from experience that life can be hard that it can break your heart and so I just wanted to be happy. On many days now, I have those moments I am incredibly grateful for life and feel incredibly lucky that the cards have fallen my way.Just like I have won the lottery that my life can be filled with so much good stuff. I still wonder how did I get here.....
Look some people would see my life as a little crazy, too full, too hard - I work too much; I don't sleep enough; I have time consuming art projects that suck all my time but in the end it is how i got to this point. I still feel bewildered that I got here really, that I don't have the tears that used to flow too often, the sadness, the fear and everything else. I know I have worked hard at it 'doing' and that I have come to accept that I need to compromise in my goals and be less self punishing but what makes it so.
I always want to learn more about the subject of meaning and happiness, so as a New Years treat when I was in Oxford I purchased three books:
The Social Animal - By David Brooks
Happiness - Lessons from a new science By David Layard
Is That Alll There is? Thoughts on the meaning of life and leaving a legacy By Julia Neuberger
I have finished the Social Animal and love understanding more about how we work as human beings how much is genetics, how much is environment, how our unconscious mind impacts who we are and what we do. This text also challenges the individualistic paradigm that the contemporary world is and starts to suggest some alternatives.
Happiness also challenges the current paradigm of individualism has put into words my own experience and makes me ever thankful for my Mum and Dad for giving me the big empathy button that has lead me to have so much of my life to be about making a positive difference to people's lives for my day job. To be kind and compassionate and to have a strong moral code, this scientifically has set me up to be a happier person.
Apparently, my art practice has given me meaning and long term investment is something that enables me to experience 'flow' time, an activity which you can get completely lost in in not ware of time. This too is a key factor to long term happiness according to the Social Animal.
So maybe not as much luck as I has imagined....... but I keep crossing my fingers as in a heart beat life could be different. For me now, I am going to challenge myself to create two side A4 with some of the learnings to help reinforce and remind me when I am unsure what step to make,
Maybe for you, Social Animal is a recommended read. Happiness a solid book but I am not sure it is 5 stars, it certainly gives some solid ideas on how policy can impact happiness overall and explores why we are richer but not happier as a western society so worthwhile.
Also you could check out the TED Talks By David Brooks, and I will let you know about the third book still to be read.
I hate being sick
So the third week of my holiday has been taken over by me being sick. I haven't been very happy about it and I feel like precious days have slipped through my fingers.
I have so few days when I am not working or have deadlines and then my body decides I am going to make you do nothing so that is all I have been doing all week.
I have been in a lovely location of Sandbanks to do it. So there was fresh air and water all around but I didn't really manage to do much at all. Now on the coach back to London and fingers crossed I think I have taken a turn for the better.
no art, no seeing shows, no sketchbook
just sleeping, coughing, a little bit of reading and some terrible old movies
I have so few days when I am not working or have deadlines and then my body decides I am going to make you do nothing so that is all I have been doing all week.
I have been in a lovely location of Sandbanks to do it. So there was fresh air and water all around but I didn't really manage to do much at all. Now on the coach back to London and fingers crossed I think I have taken a turn for the better.
no art, no seeing shows, no sketchbook
just sleeping, coughing, a little bit of reading and some terrible old movies
A week in Oxford
Photos from my Oxford week
not the normal snapshots of beautiful Oxford but I am not looking for the usual experience
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| The boy and moo cow behind Christchurch College |
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| Ghost Forest by Angela Palmer |
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| Pitt Rivers Museum |
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| 1 of 1000's lovely buildings |
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| Pitt Rivers Museum |
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| Pitt Rivers Museum |
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| 1 of 1000's lovely buildings |
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| Pocahantas's father Ceremonial Hanging via the Ashmolean |
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| 1 of 1000's lovely scenes |
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| 1 of 1000's lovely scenes |
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| Aegean figures via the Ashmolean |
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| 1 of 1000's lovely scenes |
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| Magdalen College |
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| Bellini from Jamie's Italian |
