(Tuesday) Motivation: 2.20.24

"Simplify. Not much is needed for happiness." - Kobi Yamada

Happiness isn't complex. It's just hard.

It's challenging because, to be happy, we must often say no to things that would bring us short-term joy. We find ourselves constantly denying immediate wants for long-term happiness.

That's difficult.

This challenge is compounded by our learned perceptions of happiness. We were taught that happiness is an emotion, a response to circumstances.

This is incorrect.

Happiness is not merely an emotional state. It's the resilience of a mindset.

We don't just experience happiness; it isn't a fleeting feeling. Happiness is a choice, a belief, a commitment to a way of living.

It's an approach to life, not merely a reaction to life's ups and downs.

Happiness is the mindset and belief that our efforts today will lead us to fulfill our true desires in the future. Even though these desires are not yet a reality, we stay confident in their achievability and are content with the progress we've made, as well as the pace of our advancement.

To achieve a durable, sustained level of happiness, we must frequently decline our immediate wants to prioritize our deeper desires.

Why is this the case?

Because indulging in our wants introduces complexity, whereas happiness thrives on simplicity.

Deep down, we have only a few true desires, yet we can have thousands of wants, many of which conflict with those deeper desires.

Consider the examples where satisfying our wants diverts us from our true desires, leading us away from happiness:

• Scrolling through social media instead of reading a book to acquire new skills.
• Staying up late watching TV rather than working a bit more on that work presentation.
• Having an extra cookie versus saying no to align with our fitness goals, and so on.
  

Simplify. Embrace saying no more often. Commit to your yes's. Be happy.

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✌🏽. ❤️. 📈. 🤲🏾.