AS a teacher, I have had the pleasure and the weighty responsibility of offering advice to thousands of young people over the years. What classes should I take? Should I work a side job or focus on my studies? As students grow closer to their professors, the questions grow more private, more profound. Should I marry or focus on my career? Should I choose a major that will make more money or make me happy?
Of all the advice dispensed, two were the most consistent. The first is that you get much more joy and satisfaction out of helping others than you get from helping yourself. I have found this to be the case in every walk of life. I enjoy a good meal, but I really enjoy cooking someone else a good meal. I enjoy taking my boat out, but I really enjoy taking others out on my boat. Every teacher will tell you the most rewarding part of the job is watching a student’s face light up when they learn something new and exciting. The satisfaction of helping minds grow is the greatest reward.
The second piece of advice is that happiness is a choice you make. Do you have a co-worker or a family member that is always happy, that can always see the bright side, is always optimistic? Is it because they are wealthy or successful? No. They choose to be happy, and it encompasses everything they do. Failure cannot take it away. They are not happy because they are successful, they are successful because they are happy.
Do yourself a favor and read the book, “Happiness is a Choice You Make: Lessons from a Year Among the Oldest Old” by John Leland. Spending time interviewing a group of elderly people in New York, Leland learned what I have been talking about. From the website bookbrowse.com comes this review:
“Leland was at a crossroads in his own life. His marriage had fallen apart, and at fifty-five, he was alone for the first time. He was also caring for his elderly mother, whose main desire was to die. He understood aging, like many of us do, as nothing more than a relentless deterioration of the body, mind, and quality of life. He wondered: Is there a threshold at which life is no longer worth living?
“But the six elders Leland interviewed took him in a different direction. Beyond illuminating what it’s like to be old, physically and materially, they provided a life-changing education in resiliency and joy. They had lived long enough to master the art of living, and they shared their wisdom generously. Leland did not anticipate all that he would learn.
“Happiness is a Choice You Make” is a rare, intimate glimpse into the end of life, and the insight that can enhance the years preceding. What he finds is deeply heartening. Even as our faculties decline, we still wield extraordinary influence over the quality of our lives. Happiness is a choice we make.”
If you are young, you will find a wealth of advice that could change the trajectory of your life. If you are old, you are guaranteed to read things in this book that will change your perspective for the better. Make the choice.
BC Cook, PhD lived on Saipan and has taught history for 20 years. He currently resides on the mainland U.S.
BC Cook
