Sadness

Sadness - is not attractive.  When you look at someone who looks depressed, burdened by loss, embittered by defeat, what do you see?  Do you see someone you want to hang out with? Doubtful.  Maybe, if you're feeling strong, you may see someone you want to help. But surely, you don't see someone whom you feel attracted to.

We are humans, subject to the dynamics of social interaction.  Happiness is contagious, strong people tend to be surrounded by other people who like them, and want to enjoy the invisible, hard to describe "radiance" that emanates by those people who have "charisma".

Think about the people you love.  Do you want to go them every time you're in need, and ask for help?  Save that card for when it's really necessary.  Many times, you can handle it on your own.  Find your own strength within you.  It's only on rare occasions that we're so beaten down that we need the support of our closest ones.  All the other times, learn to cope.

Nobody likes a victim.

So don't be one.

Healthy, wealthy and wise

In Zodiac, a novel by Neal Stephenson, there's a passage where he describes the goal in life of a Vietnamese immigrant, and how it differs from the commonplace goal in life of most Westerners. Most Westerners, when asked what they want in life, would answer "happiness".  It's kinda what you have been taught to want. But everyone realizes how generic that is.  What does it really mean to be happy?

The Vietnamese immigrant had a more specific set of goals: to be healthy, wealthy and wise. I like that.  It doesn't tell a complete story, because a fundamental thing in life is to be surrounded by people you love. Maybe that's something that comes with being wise.  Anyway, keeping these goals in mind serves for focusing your energy on things you can do something about.

I would then take it a little step further, and say that my goals in life are, for me and the ones I love, to be healthy, wealthy and wise.

Good.  There's no better time to get started than now.