MESSAGE #688 THE REVEREND JUST MADE ME HAPPIER!
“The journey is the Thing.”
-HOMER
I wish I could start every day like I did today.
At 7:15AM I pulled into the parking lot of the Nassau Club for a breakfast meeting for the Princeton Regional Chamber of Commerce. Today’s speaker was Reverend Peter Stimpson, director of Trinity Counseling Service, and author of “Map to Happiness.”
I love listening to speakers. And I love learning about happiness. And I love networking. I did it all this morning.
Reverend Stimpson used the quote above by Homer in his talk. He spoke about how it’s not the product (money, status, power) but instead, it’s all about the process (your journey, your attitude and your relationships).
The Reverend said that the key is to learn to love and be loved, in every interaction we have. This is so true in relationships, work, school and sports. He talked about how someone he knew was miserable at the end of his career because he only accumulated five million dollars versus his business partner who made fifty million. Guess what? If you have five million dollars and you’re miserable, you’re just a miserable rich person. It’s about the journey.
Stimpson said not to worry about external opinion, but to focus on internal worth.
The three main points in his talk were:
1. Everyone is insecure – it’s okay to make mistakes
2. We give power to other people – why? Power comes from within
3. Success is who you become not what you attain
Stimpson also talked about depression and how it occurs when there is a big gap between our ego and ego ideal. If we feel we need to or have to or should accomplish this goal or that goal and we don’t achieve it, depression sets in. The cure? Love yourself for who you are, as you are. Separate actions and results from worth.
The Reverend ended by saying “Remember, everyone is insecure. It’s okay if you are too. Just be patient with your growth.”
This applies to all areas of life.
Thanks for reading.
Be sure to checkout my interview on Global Village Tennis News: http://globalvillagetennisnews.com/2009/06/16/seven-questions-with-game-set-life–peak-performance-for-sports-and-life-author-ed-tseng.aspx