Determining Happiness

"God, grant me the serenity
to accept the things I cannot change;
the courage to change the things I can;
and the wisdom to know the difference."
---Origin unclear, but generally attributed to Dr. Reinhold Niebuhr

Nothing determines our happiness nearly so much as our attitudes. Outer circumstances simply reinforce our beliefs or erode their foundations. We can never control all variables of our physical and spiritual environment, but we can always decide how we will process our inner experience of them.

Persevering through challenging situations may strengthen our characters, hardening our resolve to reach goals, but every now and then, we need a chance to revitalize and gain perspective.

At least once or twice each year, everyone needs a vacation.




Once you've decided to take time away from your daily responsibilities, burning those precious vacation days, choose an environment that maximizes your relaxation and rejuvenation.

Surrounding yourself with the circumstances that reflect your ideal beliefs of what a vacation should be makes it much easier to have a great trip. That's why I try to help you find the cruise or tour best suited for you, and why I may stress that perhaps you really deserve a balcony or suite.

My dad often said that quality is remembered long after price is forgotten, and that seems particularly apropos regarding a vacation. It's a lot easier to tolerate cancellation of a port, for example, if you have a private balcony on a deluxe ship to enjoy on your voyage. When you embark on a vacation, decide without equivocation to make it a pleasant experience.

Even with the best of intentions, on occasions the vacation might not work out exactly as planned.
Make the best of the situation. Smile and be a pro-active force that nourishes the highest aspirations of your fellow passengers. Doing so will reinforce your own vacation mindset, maximizing your personal pleasure. Remember, it's not only more enjoyable but easier to smile than to frown. Hopefully, you'll be on a trip that surrounds you with other happy, smiling, positive people, sharing the experience of a lifetime.