The Pursuit of Happiness

“Fear is not an American art.”
– Thomas Jefferson, 1775

From the journal of Thomas Jefferson:

“On the 15th of May, 1776, the convention of Virginia instructed their delegates in Congress to propose to that body to declare the colonies independent of Great Britain, and appointed a committee to prepare a declaration of rights and plan of government.”

“The committee for drawing the declaration of independence desired me to do it. It was accordingly done, and being approved by them, I reported to the house on Friday the 28th of June when it was read and ordered to lie on the table.”

“On Monday, the 1st of July the house resolved itself into a committee of the whole and resumed the consideration of the original motion by the delegates of Virginia.”

“Congress proceeded the same day to consider the declaration of independence which had been reported and lain upon the table on Friday, and on Monday referred to a committee of the whole.”

“The debates having taken up the greater parts of the 2nd, 3rd, and 4th days of July were, in the evening of the last, closed the declaration was reported by the committee, agreed to by the house and signed by every member present except Mr. Dickinson.”

From the Declaration of Independence:

We hold these truths to be self-evident, that all men are created equal, that they are endowed by their Creator with certain unalienable Rights, that among these are Life, Liberty and the pursuit of Happiness.

The reason I’ve titled my blog “The Pursuit of Happiness” is because we all share in common the desire to be happy. This desire for happiness is so powerful that we’re willing to give our lives in order to achieve it. It is my desire to help you in your pursuit happiness.

The Declaration of Independence goes on to state:

The history of the present King of Great Britain is a history of repeated injuries and usurptions, all having in direct object the establishment of an absolute Tyranny over these States. To prove this, let Facts be submitted to a candid world.

The document goes on to list the offenses by the King of Great Britain against the 13 colonies as justification for seeking independence. Similarly, each one of us has tyrannies in our lives. But instead of being inflicted upon us by a king, the tyrant that oppress us is psychological. This psychological tyrant is our limiting beliefs. These “emotional tyrannies” impede our personal pursuit of happiness.

It is time for you to declare your personal “Declaration of Independence” from this psychological tyrant… from your limiting beliefs. You can personalize our country’s Declaration of Independence to state:

The history of my limiting beliefs is a history of repeated injuries and usurptions, all having in direct object the establishment of an absolute Tyranny over me. To prove this, let the Facts be submitted to a candid world.

Now list everything that your limiting beliefs have kept you from achieving throughout your life. Here’s an example:

My limiting beliefs have..

…kept me from excelling in school
…kept me from excelling in sports
…kept me from excelling in business
…kept me from achieving financial independence
…kept me from enjoying fulfilling relationships with family
…kept me from enjoying strong relationships with friends
…kept me from completing things that I start
…kept me from trying new things
…kept me from… (you fill in the blanks)

And now, declare your independence from your limiting beliefs so that you can pursue the happiness that is your unalienable right.

Your Friend,

D. Scott Elder

This entry was posted on Sunday, February 24th, 2008 at 3:04 pm and is filed under Uncategorized. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. You can leave a response, or trackback from your own site.