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Nicholas Fritts
Professor Jizi
UWRT1102-029
17 February 2016

Double Entry Journal- How Happy Are You and Why

Citation: Parfitt, Matthew. Pursuing Happiness: A Bedford Spotlight Reader. Place of Publication

Not Identified: Bedford Bks St Martin'S, 2016. 179-196. Print.

Source: Quote (Page# or Paragraph #)

Responses

Have you ever known someone who is

deeply and genuinely happy? A person
whoof your family. pg.179

My dad is this kind of person. He is almost

always in a good mood regardless of the
situation or circumstances. When I was in
fourth grade his company went out of
business, and he became unemployed. It was
as though it didnt even faze him. He
searched for jobs and did things around the
house. He eventually found a job working
construction and then a low level job at Cisco
Systems where he has worked his way up the
ladder and still works today. He is also a three
time cancer survivor. He had cancer and his
throat just a few months ago and didnt miss a
beat, going on a business trips and acting as
if it was nothing.

But this happy person you know seems

able to brush offwhile you are sluggish
and passive. pg.179

I like this quote from the book a lot. It

emphasizes to me that happiness is all about
how you think about thing. We cannot control
what life throws at us, but we have total
control over our demeanor and thinking.
Think positive, be positive.

Angela pg.180

It is remarkable that Angela was able to

maintain happiness through her ordeals. It

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just goes to show the previous point of

happiness being all about how you think
about your situations.

Randy pg.181

I believe that it is Randys optimism that

results in him being so happy and making
others around him happy. He focuses on the
good times and leaves the rest behind.

Shannon pg.182

Im no doctor, but it doesnt seem healthy for

her happiness to depend on someone else.
Happiness comes from within. Cmon
Shannon.

The Happiness Continuum pg.182

I dont like this idea of a Happiness

Continuum. I dont believe that happiness is
like IQ or height. Height and IQ are pretty
constant while happiness fluctuates. No one
is happy all the time, and if you were then
happiness would become start to feel
ordinary instead of fantastic like it should. It is
a balance. People may seem happy all the
time but it could be a faade.
Believing Game: This could be fairly
accurate as I was easily able to select
numbers representing my happiness on the
surveys. Believing this could be helpful in
pinpointing your happiness level. If I believed
this I would be able to rate my happiness at
any time, but I dont want to do that. I just
want to enjoy it.

Happiness Must Be Found pg.185

I dont think this is a myth. Happiness must be

found, not at a place, but within. As quoted in
the writing, Happiness, more than anything is
a state of mind

God, grant me the serenity to accept the

things I cannot change, the courage to
change the things I can, and the wisdom to
know the difference?

I just really like this quote.

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In a nutshell, the fountain of happiness can

be found in how you behave, what you think,
and what goals you set every day of your
life.

I like this statement a lot. Happiness is mainly

dependent on you. If youre not happy you
need to change something or learn to deal
with being miserable. It might not be easy, but
it is the only way to truly be happy.