With contentment, we often have the sense of having completed something with tranquility, we relish the feeling of doing nothing. (This Atlas of the Heart quote inspires!) While gratitude is an emotion, if we want to experience its full power, we must also make it a practice. It’s lower intensity than joy, and more self-focused.

Happiness is stable, long-lasting, and normally the result of effort.

Joy is sudden, unexpected, short-lasting, and high-intensity. Betrayal is so painful because, at its core, it is a violation of trust. (Favorite Altas of the Heart quote and section) We can’t connect with someone unless we’re clear about where we end and they begin. Boundaries are a prerequisite for compassion and empathy. (Eyeopening quote from Atlas of the Heart) Compassion is a daily practice and empathy is a skill set that is one of the most powerful tools of compassion. Hope is a function of struggle – we develop hope not during the easy or comfortable times, but through adversity and discomfort. (Best A-ha quote from Atlas of the Heart) Hope is a way of thinking – a cognitive process. We define nostalgia as a yearning for the way things used to be in our often idealized and self-protective version of the past. Amusement differs from happiness in that happiness is a general sense of pleasure whereas amusement appeals specifically to one’s sense of humor. Vulnerability is not weakness it’s our greatest measure of courage. Human emotions and experiences are layers of biology, biography, behavior, and backstory.

Atlas brene brown