Three Items

Last week, a client asked me, “what are we supposed to do when everything seems broken?”

I don’t have an answer, but what I offered to her was something I had heard in a seminar years ago that stuck with me:

A human can find happiness in these three items every day: someone to love, something to do, and something to look forward to. 

My client found it helpful in our conversation and it prompted me to think more deeply about this wisdom over these last few days. 

A dose of happiness really can be that simple: love, action, and hope. 

This wisdom reminds us that we have agency and choice to create our happiness. Giving our love, doing something that matters, and finding hope in our future. Those are choices we make every day. 

Pondering this wisdom can help us live a little more intentionally this week. It serves as a reminder to make sure we are loving our people well, taking action on things that are important to do, and making note of what we are looking forward to. 

In writing this today, I did some research on the source of this wisdom so I could cite the originator. It appears to trace back to George Washington Burnam who lived in the early 1800’s in Baltimore. He was a Harvard graduate and Unitarian Minister. His original quote was, “The grand essentials to happiness in this life are something to do, something to love, and something to hope for.” He wrote this in a book entitled The Sphere and Duties of Women. When I dug into that book content a little deeper, I found things typical of early 1800’s norms, such as “women’s lives should be centered in the home,” but also things I loved in his advocacy for equal educational rights, legal protections for women, and women’s voting rights. 

Burnam’s teaching from 200 years ago feels applicable today as we all seek a dose of happiness among the challenges of being human. These writings we have from centuries ago remind us that the challenges of being human are timeless. in 2026, the things we seek haven’t changed. We have love to give, things to do that matter, and we all need hope to hang on to, if even by just a thread some days. 

Who or what do you love?

Who needs your love? What makes your eyes light up and brings you joy? How can you show love today to yourself and someone else too?

What will you do today?

Who will you help? How will you contribute your gifts? What is yours to do?

What are you looking forward to?

What are you excited about? What’s next for you? What gives you a sense of hope?

Try thinking about what or whom you love, what you love to do, and what you are looking forward to this week and see what you notice.

Maybe a little shift in perspective and positive energy will come your way as a result. 

Sending love to you,