The Math

On a scale of 1-10, with 1 being a life absolutely without purpose and 10 being a life overflowing with purpose and fulfillment at the deepest level, where are you?

Wherever you are, I promise you: It's not the circumstances that surround you or the events of your life that give birth to the quality of your life.

It's your interpretation of the events, the significance you attach to your circumstances, these are the dual forces that engineer the emotions you come in contact with throughout the day.

Take the story of W. Mitchell, a man who lived life to the fullest - then suffered a terrible motorcycle accident that burned over 65 percent of his body. He wasn't phased. He learned to fly, and regularly flew a small passenger plane. One day, with four passengers on board, a thin sheet of ice over his wings caused a disastrous takeoff. Only three people walked away from the crash. Mitchell wasn't one of them. He was paralyzed from the waist down.

After all these awful circumstances and events, ask Mitchell where his quality of life is right now. I promise you: it's never less than a nine.

We choose the interpretation, significance, and emotions that these circumstances and events produce in our minds, and therefore we and not the slings and arrows of outrageous fortune do the math that manifests our quality of life.