On this Music Monday episode of Happiness Through Creating, we take a deeper look at Pink’s 2012 song “Try,” moving beyond its reputation as a motivational anthem. Rather than a song about confidence or winning, we reframe “Try” as a meditation on endurance, desire, and the discipline of continuing to create when outcomes are uncertain. Drawing from Pink’s personal context, psychology, and creative philosophy, this episode explores the difference between pain and failure, forward-facing purpose versus backward-facing rumination, and why meaningful creation always involves risk. Together, we’re invited to see discomfort not as a signal to stop, but as evidence that something meaningful is happening—and to understand trying not as a guarantee of success, but as an act of identity.

Here is a link to the song: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yTCDVfMz15M

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In this episode, we take an analytical deep dive into the 2025 World Happiness Report—not as a list of rankings, but as a research document that reveals how happiness is created, sustained, and undermined at both individual and societal levels. Rather than asking who is happiest, we examine what the data suggests about the conditions that allow happiness to emerge.

We explore the report’s focus on caring and sharing as measurable social behaviors, along with key findings such as Finland’s sustained high life satisfaction, gaps between expected and actual generosity, the role of social trust, shared meals, and the growing impact of loneliness. These insights help frame happiness as a collective, system-level outcome rather than a purely internal emotional state.

This episode highlights trust as a form of social infrastructure, relationships as a key creative resource, and everyday behaviors as powerful drivers of well-being. The data points toward a clear conclusion: happiness is not something we simply feel—it is something we help construct through norms, institutions, and repeated acts of connection.

As creators, we are invited to see happiness not as a personal achievement, but as something we continuously build together.

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In this episode, we explore the life of Jesse Owens as more than a sports legend—and as a powerful example of what it means to create your life in the face of opposition. From his childhood in poverty and segregation to his historic four gold medals at the 1936 Berlin Olympics, Jesse Owens’ story shows how identity, expression, and integrity can exist even when the world resists them.

Through moments of triumph, misunderstanding, and quiet perseverance, we reflect on creativity as an act of self-definition. Owens didn’t set out to make a political statement—he simply ran his race—but his honest expression challenged ideology, connected people across divides, and left a lasting mark on history. This episode invites us to consider how creation refines us, how recognition isn’t guaranteed, and how happiness comes from continuing to create anyway.

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In this Music Monday episode of Happiness Through Creating, we explore the song “Shallow” from A Star Is Born as a powerful reflection on courage, honesty, and the opposition we face when we try to move beyond the surface of our lives. We unpack the song’s opening questions about happiness, fulfillment, and longing, and how they invite us to assess where we may be settling for comfort instead of growth. Through its lyrics, the song captures the tension between desire and fear, reminding us that creation is always in motion and that opposition—both external and internal—is part of the process of becoming who we’re meant to be.

We also reflect on the chorus as a metaphor for taking meaningful risks while supported by our creative operating system—our character, learning loops, and relationships. “Shallow” shows us that joy isn’t found in avoiding difficulty, but in fully engaging with life, diving deep, and growing through challenge. As we consider the rhythms of surface and depth, comfort and courage, we’re invited to ask where we might be holding back and how our relationships amplify our ability to create, learn, and experience happiness. This episode is a reminder that when we move beyond the shallow and engage life fully, we strengthen our character and discover that happiness truly comes through creating.

Here is a link to the song: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bo_efYhYU2A

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In this episode of Happiness Through Creating, we share the powerful story of Sarah Breedlove—known to the world as Madam C.J. Walker—and explore how creation unfolds through assessment, adjustment, and repeated action. Born into hardship and loss, Sarah refused to accept the limitations placed before her. By paying attention to overlooked needs, experimenting through failure, and persisting with quiet determination, she transformed personal struggle into meaningful creation. Her journey reminds us that insight grows when we are willing to notice what isn’t working and stay engaged long enough for small breakthroughs to accumulate into something lasting.

We reflect on how Sarah’s work became more than a product—it became opportunity, dignity, and empowerment for countless women. Her legacy demonstrates that creation is not a single achievement or finish line, but a continuous process that extends beyond ourselves. As we consider her life, we’re invited to look at our own: what we’ve noticed, what might need adjusting, and what courageous action we can take next. This episode leaves us with a clear reminder—creation doesn’t require permission or perfect circumstances. It requires persistence, purpose, and the willingness to keep moving forward, because you are a Creator.

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In this episode of Happiness Through Creating, we challenge the assumption that success and happiness require following someone else’s formula. Through the story of Olympic marathoner Abebe Bikila, we explore how creation often becomes possible only when we stop forcing ourselves into molds that were never meant for us. Bikila’s life reminds us that before recognition, optimization, or comparison, creation begins quietly—with character shaped by consistency, patience, and alignment with who we already are. His decision to run barefoot in the 1960 Olympics wasn’t rebellion or symbolism; it was honesty. He simply trusted what fit him, and that trust carried him forward.

We reflect on how Bikila’s journey illustrates the full creation cycle: character-forming motivation, motivation-creating movement, movement-building momentum, and momentum-opening opportunity. From winning back-to-back Olympic gold medals under vastly different conditions to continuing to create meaning after injury and paralysis, his life shows us that happiness can adapt even when circumstances change. We’re invited to ask where we might be imitating instead of aligning, conforming instead of creating, or wearing shoes that don’t fit. The reminder is simple and powerful: you don’t have to create like everyone else—you just have to move forward honestly, because you are a Creator.

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In this episode of Happiness Through Creating, we reflect on the simple but powerful message of Randy Newman’s “You’ve Got a Friend in Me.” We explore how creation and happiness both begin with intention—a declaration of who we choose to be before results ever show up. Through the song’s repeating promise, we talk about rough roads as a natural part of the creative process, not interruptions to it, and how remembering our connections helps us keep going when momentum feels hard to sustain. Happiness, we discover, often fades not because we’ve lost something, but because we’ve forgotten the commitments and relationships that once anchored us.

We also examine how shared struggle strengthens bonds, how willingness matters more than perfection, and how real momentum is built through consistency and connection over time. The song reminds us that happiness is deeply relational—created through presence, durability, and choosing each other again and again. We close with an invitation to remember who has been there for us, and to consider who might need a reminder that we’re still here. Because sometimes the most meaningful thing we create isn’t an outcome—it’s presence.

Here is a link to the song: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zIYOJ_hSs0o

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In this episode of Happiness Through Creating, we explore integrity not as an abstract virtue, but as something actively created through courageous, often costly choices. Through the life of Ida B. Wells-Barnett—journalist, educator, and civil rights activist—we examine how integrity is formed by aligning one's beliefs with actions, even in the face of loss and opposition. From her early responsibility after losing her parents to her fearless exposure of the truth behind lynching, Ida’s life shows us that integrity is rooted in truth-telling and sustained through discipline, responsibility, and persistence.

We are invited to view integrity as a daily practice, rather than a single brave moment—one that produces action, contribution, and clarity, rather than comfort or approval. Ida B. Wells-Barnett’s legacy is directly connected to the heart of Happiness Through Creating: happiness emerges not from ease, but from wholeness—when who we are and how we live are in alignment. As we reflect on her story, we are encouraged to consider where integrity is asking to be expressed more fully in our own lives, and how small, honest acts of courage can create peace, self-respect, and a life grounded in truth.

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Website: ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠https://www.creatorsopposition.com/⁠⁠