The Elements of Happiness are obvious.
We all know what they are:
healthy food, rest, exercise, sobriety, nature, connection, work, love, fun, self-expression.
We have the map. If we just charge after these things and do them often, we have a greater chance of being Happy. It’s ours for the taking.
So why don’t we do it?
Why aren’t we happy?
….
Our brains.
We’re too sophisticated.
We rationalize away Happiness every day. Every minute.
I’m just not in the mood.
It’s too far away.
I’m not making progress anyway.
I should wait until I’m inspired.
I’ll get to it later.
Our minds are why stop, why we fail to start. We talk ourselves out of the right path all the time. We choose to keep Comfort and Familiarity intact, like a warm fuzzy blanket wrapped around our bodies, getting cozy above all else.
Ahhhhh.
We humans, we’re jsut too good at this: prioritizing our current mood over the one we want to have, prioritizing comfort over action, choosing the warm shower over the cold one.
We hold on to the moment we have and stretch it over our bodies, stretch it tight across time.
This is sooooo good. I ain’t getting up for nothin!
And it is good.
And you deserve it.
But be careful.
Comfort and Familiarity lose their charm quick and they won’t let go of you. You have to be the one to let go, to welcome in Discomfort and Unfamiliarity, to be okay with the cold.
There are so many alternative NOWs trapped in that blanket.
The elements of Happiness are out there.
healthy food, rest, exercise, sobriety, nature, connection, work, love, fun, self-expression.
Pick one.
And go after it.