Want to Be Happier? Repeat This Ancient Four-Word Phrase Every Single Day
A centuries-old monastic practice could be the key to happiness
“When a man knows he is to be hanged in a fortnight, it concentrates his mind wonderfully.” — Samuel Johnson
When I was eighteen years old, I got in my car with three friends and took a month-long road trip from coast to coast in celebration of our graduation from high school. When we reached Vancouver, I dropped the boys at the airport and drove back home alone.
When I was somewhere in Montana, I stopped at a shop on a Native American reserve. As I wandered the aisles in search of snacks and drinks for the road, I somehow ended up in the jewelry section. In between all the kitschy designs was a simple, unembellished ring. I’m not a jewelry-wearing guy, nor am I a mystical person, but I felt somehow drawn to it.
“That’s real Montana sterling,” the proprietor said. “Local mountain silver.”
“I’ll take it,” I replied.
I paid the man and slipped the ring on my thumb as I returned to my car. As I drove east, listening to music, I tapped my new thumb ring on the steering wheel with pleasure. But why did I buy it?
