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# Do you want to be right?
- URL: https://www.gilespcroft.com/do-you-want-to-be-right/
- Published: 2024-06-08T07:00:00.000Z
- Updated: 2026-02-27T19:42:23.000Z
- Description: I'm going to give you a clear choice. You can only choose one. Which is it? ⚖️
- Author: Giles P Croft
- Tags: Acceptance, Expectations, FOUNDATIONS, Gratitude, Life change, Psychology, Richard Carlson

Time for some tough love.

[I was wrong yesterday](https://www.gilespcroft.com/are-we-nature/), so it’s your turn today 😁

Here you go: You can choose one of the following, but not both.

❓

Do you want to be right? Or do you want to be happy?

No, no. Did you not hear me? I said choose ***one***.

🤨

Why can’t it be both?

Well, let’s put semantics aside for a moment (i.e. avoid a debate about what ‘right’ and ‘happy’ mean - they’re just metaphors, ok)?

In my world, ‘right’ is a mind-creation. There *is* no wrong & right.

*(Sure, we have commonly agreed human values, some of which we‘ve enshrined in law, but try foisting those onto a baboon and see how far you get.* 🙈*)*

There’s no right & wrong in this buzzing energy field that we call life. They’re human creations.

And in my world, ‘happy’ is freedom from all the limitations of those mind-creations. (‘Peace of mind’ you could call it.)

Experiencing life without the need for judgement or labelling.

*(And sure, you can be ‘happy’ when something you wanted to happen happens… but isn’t that just a result of ego shutting up from its incessant demands, briefly?* 🤔*)*

I like the way Richard Carlson puts it, in his rather excellent book, [*You Can Be Happy No Matter What*](https://amzn.to/4aDpVIs?ref=gilespcroft.com). He challenges you to ask of yourself:

> *“Am I putting my opinions above my positive feelings? When we take our opinions so seriously that they bring us discontented feelings, they are not worth defending.”*

Ouch, it burns us! 🔥

So, which is it to be?

How do you want to live your life:

  1. Coming from a place of **needing to be right** about stuff? Making sure the mind’s expectations are being met, as often as possible?
  2. Or not really being all that bothered by what the mind-creations are saying, and just… **being happy with life**, however it shows up?

Your choice.

💟

Giles

### Related

[In celebration of being wrongDo you want to be right or do you want to be happy? ◑![](https://storage.ghost.io/c/9b/f3/9bf3d316-7d32-494b-814f-a7d94d6358c3/content/images/icon/DR_Lockup-Black-3-426.png)The Daily RemindersGiles P Croft![](https://storage.ghost.io/c/9b/f3/9bf3d316-7d32-494b-814f-a7d94d6358c3/content/images/thumbnail/photo-1635426476436-65636361e34e-1.jpeg)](https://www.gilespcroft.com/in-celebration-of-being-wrong/)

Real life example of how much fun there is to be had, being wrong!