A Tiny Truth: Practicing Happiness

by Angela Noel

Is this wise, little creature a chicken or an owl? I’m going with owl. Either way, this doodle is awesome. It both makes me smile and reminds me that creating happiness isn’t like making a chocolate fudge cake. My happiness doesn’t depend on a mix of specific ingredients, baked at just the right temperature, then only enjoyed at birthdays and special occasions (or when the grocery store has free samples, in my case).

Happiness is everyday, already resident within me. I “create” happiness not by addition, but through subtraction. Michelangelo said, “Every block of stone has a statue inside it and it is the task of the sculptor to discover it.” Sometimes I forget, I am both sculptor and stone.

I am my own work of art.

Be awesome in real life.

For more on happiness and possibility, check out The Art of Possibility by Rosamund Stone Zander and Benjamin Zander. Subscribe to this blog for more “Tiny Truths” and stories about people, like Matthew French, who invite passion, creativity and adventure into their lives every day.