“Creating Our Own Happiness” is an oral essay by Wayne Coyne of The Flaming Lips. Coyne begins by remembering a time where he was warm and happy in his car when he saw a poor couple struggling to keep warm. The couple’s shocking laughter among the cold conditions at first surprises Coyne, but leads to a revelation about the state of happiness. Coyne begins to realize that happiness is not created by the conditions people find themselves in, but by their attitude within those conditions. By comprehending
Much of my success was due to the perfectionist standards of my teachers and my mom. They drilled into my head the importance of having perfect handwriting, until it became my second nature. Often, when I was not satisfied with my handwriting, I would keep erasing and rewriting, until the page was smeared. I can say with pride that the struggle at that time was totally worth it. Even the