Happiness! Elusive, isn’t it?
How often have you thought:
9 If only I had that car ...
then I’d be satisfied!
® If only I could find someone truly to love
me ...
then I’d be happy!
® If only I wasn’t under so much financial stress...
then I’d be content!
9 If only . ..
9 If only ...
The news I have for you today is: All the “If only’s” in the world— even if they all came true —still could not guarantee your happiness!
As we all have discovered at one time or another, cars, houses, jewelry, and other material gains don’t bring happiness for long. After the immediate rush of joy at receiving something we have longed for, we are hit with the unique problems that every gain brings.
I’ll never forget the young man who longed for a Ferrari. He dreamed about it. He imagined
INTRODUCTION
himself behind the wheel. He could smell the soft, supple leather. He could feel the power of the engine as it hugged the road.
Then it happened. He got the promotion he wanted, and with the promotion came a good sized raise. At last he knew he could fulfill his fantasy.
Shining black, the Ferrari gleamed and glistened as he drove it away from the showroom floor. His dream had come true. He was ecstatic!
The car was magnificent to drive, and the young man loved all the attention he received from envious young men and lovely ladies. But the payments were steep. The entire raise and more was going into this car. The girls that the car attracted expected him to take them to expensive restaurants. They expected expensive gifts. And parking attendants expected fat tips.
Then it came time to have the Ferrari serviced. Wow! He had no idea that a mere lube job would cost so much. He managed to pay, although the high charges left him in the hole financially.
But it was worth it! He had a Ferrari—his dream car!
The young man enjoyed washing and waxing the Ferrari, rubbing the wax and watching the sun glint off the mirrored body. But after a few months he began to notice little nicks in the paint and scratches on the door.
He began to get tired of the attention and the demands that the car and its new friends made on him. In fact, he was beginning to wonder who the girls were going out with—him or his car!
That car—the young man’s pride and joy, his source of happiness—was beginning to become a source of disappointment and depression, as well as a burden. This letdown was totally unexpected. He had thought he would be eternally happy once he had that car. But he wasn’t.
Future shock overtook—and shook—him. Now he was haunted by the question: “Will I ever be happy? Will I ever be satisfied?”
Material gains will not bring happiness. People who search for happiness in terms of money, real estate, possessions, or investment portfolios are always in for a rude awakening. All the money in the world will not buy happiness.
I have known some very wealthy people, and they have just as many problems as you and I do. They are no happier than you or I. In fact, money frequently brings with it more problems and less happiness. Wealthy people are often lonely and suspicious of people’s motives.
If wealth can’t guarantee happiness, then how about fame?
I have known famous people and many of them live a life of despair. I’m sure that you can think of several movie stars and performers
whose names were household words, who had achieved the highest level of fame, but who were so unhappy that they ended it all through suicide.
Where do you look to find happiness?
• Riches? It will take more than money.
• Recognition? Fame is fleeting!
• Relationships? Even those who love you will sometimes let you down.
• Recreational drugs? They create habits that spell nothing but trouble!
How, then, do you find happiness? Not in riches, recognition, relationships, or recreational drugs, but in readjusted mental attitudes!
That’s what this book is about— the lifetransforming power of a readjusted mental attitude! The good news is: Bad news can turn into good news if you readjust your attitude toward the tough times.
In this book:
• You’ll meet people who did just that!
• You’ll be introduced to eight spiritual laws, taught and lived out by Christ, that will help you realign and readjust your attitude!
• You’ll be inspired to make the commitment to react positively to negative times!
This book will absolutely change your life—if you can learn to live by the Be-Happy Attitudes.
The Be-Happy Attitudes—what are they?
INTRODUCTION
You’ve probably heard of them as the “Beatitudes,” the eight positive attitudes that come from the eight opening lines of Jesus of Nazareth’s famous “Sermon on the Mount”:
• “Blessed are the poor in spirit, for theirs is the kingdom of heaven.”
® “Blessed are those who mourn, for they shall be comforted.”
® “Blessed are the meek, for they shall inherit the earth.”
• “Blessed are those who hunger and thirst for righteousness, for they shall be satisfied.”
® “Blessed are the merciful, for they shall obtain mercy.”
• “Blessed are the pure in heart, for they shall see God.”
• “Blessed are the peacemakers, for they shall be called children of God.”
® “Blessed are those who are persecuted for righteousness’ sake, for theirs is the kingdom of heaven.”
Blessed literally means “happy.” So, whether you are winning or losing, succeeding or failing, enthusiastic or depressed, happy or suffering, you can be happy if you will discover the eight positive attitudes given to us by Jesus in the Beatitudes.
Architect Philip Johnson, who designed the Crystal Cathedral, says the most important part of any structure is the “Goesinto”—that part or place where a person “goes into” the experience.
What the “Goesinto” is to a building ...
What the overture is to a symphony ...
What the first serve is to tennis ...
What the main entrance is to a facility . . .
What the glorious christening is to a ship ...
What the opening salvo is to an argument...
What the first impression is to a new relationship ...
What the opening number is to a program ... That’s what these eight classic sentences are to the teachings of Jesus. Classic—they’ve passed the test of time. For over two thousand years they have transformed the minds, the moods, the manners of men and women.
What is their secret? Why have they proven unsurpassed as successful therapy to depressed minds? Now we know! The analysis is in. The secret is out. Each contains the spiritual motivation to alter a human being’s attitude. What we really have here is a therapeutic exercise in replacing negative attitudes with positive attitudes! Yes, here—unsurpassed in helpful literature—are eight positive attitudes that will transform any life! Discover them! Apply them! Enjoy life with these “Be-Happy Attitudes.”
Be-Happy Attitude *\