Happiness

Happiness
is something
we already have.

If we don’t feel it
it’s because we only feel it
when we see it
with appreciation.

We often learn this
after
we’ve lost it.

As we all of a sudden
remember
having seen it
without appreciation.

All the while,
appreciating it now
since we have lost it.

Life’s Work

When we lose
our startup.

Many stories
arise.

One
is that we
have failed.

At what exactly?

Just because
that company
was not the company
with which you achieved
what you wanted to achieve,
it doesn’t mean
there will be no other company
with which
to do so.

The loss of your startup
does not equal
the loss
of your life’s work.

In fact,
it may equal
the gain
of the knowledge required
to do your life’s work.

The question may be
what
your life’s work
is
and are you willing
to continue
it.

Two Kinds of Sacrifice

There are two kinds of sacrifice.

The kind that feels like one.
vs
The kind that doesn’t.

Sometimes we’re willing to lose what other people judge as “precious.”
because it doesn’t feel like a sacrifice to us,
because we feel it’s worth it.
They may not be able to understand why,
but we do it anyway.

Other times, we’re unwilling to lose what other people judge as “trivial.”
because it does feel like a sacrifice to us,
because we feel it’s not worth it.
They may negatively judge us,
but we stand firm.

To think of loss and value
as something that can be understood and appreciated
without taking into account the emotional component
is to misunderstand and to misjudge
the human condition.