...The part of the brain that controls rumination also controls creativity.
...We weren’t built to be “happy” in the way we think of happiness: carefree, grateful, excited.
We were born to survive, which is to create.
...Everything is creative. You are creating cells and thoughts as you read this. You are creating Co2 as you exhale. When you’re spending time with someone you love, you are creating your relationship. Every time you work, you are creating money, you are creating skill. You are always creating.
Suffering is what happens when you stop creating. Rather than devise the next step for your life, you ruminate on the last one. Rather than imagine previously inconceivable opportunities, you assume nothing better is possible. Rather than taking control of your life, you assume an attitude of powerlessness. You become helpless. Your suffering becomes meaningless.
...Creativity is not exclusive to the arts as we tend to think of it. Everything is creative. Every last second and part of your life. Creativity is not necessarily a burst of emotional passion; it can be a habituated choice.
In that choice, there is a different kind of happiness — one that is not passive, but active. Instead of trying to reap the benefits and joy out of the world other people have created, we embark on our true mission, which is to create ourselves in the world.
That is how we leave a lasting impression. That is how we find real, deep, sustainable happiness — in creating what is inside of us on the outside.
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