The Happiness Trail: A Road Map to Success

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If you are seeking creative ideas, go out walking. Angel’s whisper to a man when he goes for a walk.”– Raymond Inmon Knowing how you want to style your happy trail is a great first step, but you still need to know how to accomplish your goals. Now, we're going to learn a little about grooming techniques to get you started. Make a Plan I only went out for a walk and finally concluded to stay out till sundown for going out, I found, was really going in.”

When I got into self-help books, I had two problems I wanted to solve: how to become likable and how to solve an addiction I'd had since I was 13-years-old. The books were able to help with the first, but nothing I tried worked with the addiction. That was until I started seeing a psychologist trained in Acceptance and Commitment Therapy (ACT). It’s not an original poem of Jake’s, it’s a pre-existing poem called XVII (I do not love you…) by Pablo Neruda, a Chilean poet-diplomat and politician. He won the Nobel Prize in Literature in 1971 and is often celebrated as Chile’s national poet. All these five factors constitute a basic road map to success and happiness that make things according to their natural way. I went to the woods because I wished to live deliberately, to front only essential facts of life, and see if I could learn what it had to teach, and not, when I came to die, discover that I had not lived.”– Henry David Thoreau

Finnish freedom to roam

After our first session, I got instant results. Over the weekend that followed I had many changes to indulge my addiction and I had the desire, but I was able to use ACT to make values-based choices. At that point, my knowledge of the principles of ACT was rudimentary.

I take issue with two things in relation to this book. First, there were a few times as I was reading that the tone felt condescending. I felt very little empathy or understanding in relation to how difficult it can be to endure the kinds of things that go beyond the basic, universal aches and pains of life. I found this particularly weird given that the author is a therapist himself… At this point, you should have a decent happy trail. The shave is just to fully clean up parts that you want to keep smooth. A safety razor and shaving gel are all you need for this step. Take your time; this is more awkward than you will expect if you haven't done it before. Also, shave with the grain. Even if you're tempted to get an ultra-close shave, it's risky. You're getting into sensitive skin territory, and razor bumps or redness will be visible when you remove your shirt. All of this effort is for nothing if you turn into a red monster. Total Grooming

I've been thinking a lot about these things for both the big and little challenges that I face each day, and I have found them useful. This isn't a book that tells you how to be happy all the time, because that is not possible. But it does help you live a life of fulfillment, which I think is what matters most. I also believe that a fulfilling life is a joyful life--note that I do not say a "happy" or "ever-pleasant" life, as I think there is an important distinction.