Aristotle isn't simply telling us to think positive thoughts—he's making a harder claim, that happiness is a *skill* we practice rather than a feeling that happens to us. The radical part is his refusal to blame circumstance; unlike those who wait for better luck or a partner's attention, he insists we alone possess the faculty to build contentment through habit and choice. A person stuck in a tedious job discovers this truth when she realizes that her resentment stems not from the work itself, but from her decision to see it as beneath her—and that changing her attitude, though difficult, actually works.