[mistermann]

> Personally I've found the one reliable metric I have with which to evaluate decisions is: happiness.

It's very similar, but rather than optimizing for happiness, I prefer Terence McKenna's advice to optimize for beauty...

The Good , The True and The Beautiful: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Q-J09gk0mJk

To me this seems superior in that it seems to be more all-encompassing, and can be more easily applied to others and the greater world, for me. But then happiness could very well do the same for you - I think it's the style of thinking (the means by which one evaluates options when choosing a course of action) involved that is the main point.

[nkrisc]

Precisely, "happiness" is a pretty squishy term and I'm sure many a debate could be had on exactly what it means. The main principle I adhere to is focusing on what is in my control, which is really what's in my head, and since one can't always control even your own feelings, how I react to those feelings.