Alright, be honest. Who's legitimately happy?

[amateursurgeon]

Gotta be square with you, bros... I'm not happy and haven't been for a long ass time. I have no idea if it's my workload, my deteriorating social/dating life or what but things just seem to be shit all of the time.


Fill me in. I've tried talking to head shrinkers and stuff but they put me into rage mode so fast that I actually wonder how I haven't ended up going on a rampage and smashing their office into smithereens.

Another thought - I don't know how old you are, but it might be a function of your age. Very few people in the late teens -> mid 20s are happy. I know I wasn't.

It wasn't until my early 30s that I learned to relax and enjoy life. But then again, it's not guaranteed. I know plenty of people in their 30s and 40s who excel at making themselves miserable.

Something else you said struck a chord - about not wanting the instability you had as a child. That there may be giving you some problems, because it's an "away from" motivation driven by fear. The problem with those sorts of motivations is that they are like a nebulous monster chasing you in your dreams. You're never 100% confident that you've escaped them.

It's a dilemma, because they are very good at giving you the drive to be successful in the first place... but if you're letting that drive control you rather than vice versa, you'll never be at peace.

 

[Lexicon]

You need to take some time away. I bust my ass for 8 months then for 4 months of the year I am MIA. luckily I've trained a kickass competent staff.

Go to Europe, do yacht week, rent a lambo and hit the autobahn, go skydiving, see a sex show in Mexico. You just need some other stimulation in a different environment.

Don't work so hard chasing a dream that when you catch it you are too tired to enjoy it.

 

[conjamuk]

On a scale of 1 to 10 I am a 9. Only work ten hours per week and traveling the world. No boss, no debt and my business is booming.

 

[styledoesmatter]

One of the best books on Happiness I ever read was "Happier" by the guy who teaches the happiness course at Harvard (which is a real thing).

The book offers a complete paradigm shift/mind fuck on what it means to be happy.

Most people look at happiness as a destination to reach. But as may people have pointed out in this thread, that destination is a moving target and a mirage.

Instead, we should look to be happiER than we currently are. Which is TOTALLY different than looking at happiness as a binary, either/or emotion.

What trips most people up is that they look for happiness via future accomplishments OR through hedonistic pleasure.

Key takeaway from the book:

Those that are truly happy and find themselves happier as life goes on are those that spend most of their time doing things that give them a present AND future benefit.

I find that most people spend their time either chasing a future benefit via unfulfilled work or present benefit from partying, hook ups...hoping that the two extremes will average out. They don't.

Gotta find that thing that gives you present AND future benefit and do it as much as you possibly can.

For me, it's traveling. I get a rush in the present from the experiences and a future benefit from my personal growth.

 

[shawnhag]

Im really happy -

I have an awesome wife and new baby
2 great dogs
No boss
Good money

I generally feel good throughout the day and don't really want anything other than expansion

 

[Earl-]

I am sort of happy\am not worried about my happiness, used to be single and used to be really happy, am currently in a relationship that is not going super great so am right now not as happy as I can be I guess, but either the relationship will work out in some way and i will be back to very happy again, or it ends and i will be back to very happy again, so I am not too too worried. My financial\professional life is going pretty shitty currently but I have faith that i will figure something out.

 

[igl00]

im very happy with my life and i wouldnt change anything

 

[Your_Pal]

I would say I'm in similar situation. I just want to get out of the place where I live. I work almost every day. Have serious lower back problems (Sciatica). Everyone in my family says me that excessive use of computers killed my emotions and everything. In ME I'm left with hunger for money and only to fill my goals.

Ssly I hate this life. I used to deny -> Money Can't buy happiness, but now I have to admit its true. I'm pretty much a machine hunting for dollars nothing else. Although I sleep good but not always.. tried to lower my weight but end up hurting my legs and joints and never had a courage to start it again.

I believe two things never goes altogether. Either you enjoy or you make money. Right now I'm in money mode and not sure when this hunger is going to be filled.. may be never as usual.. I'm not a big baller like some of you guys here on wf but I wish and have utter desire to fill my dreams as soon as I can and may be that day I will be happier.. God know when ??

 

[jhoffy22]

Only one one of our services - the press releases. The good news is that the margin is terrible on selling that in BST - it's actually more profitable to spend $50 in AdWords to get 1 sale than it is to get 1 from the BST.

No shock, though. Everything else is going well...we're growing at >100% a month right now which has been challenging to manage.

Lettuce be reality here - the reason quality press releases don't sell well on Wickedfire BST is because everybody's sites are far too shitty. Churn and burn baby.

 

[rusvik]

It wasn't until my early 30s that I learned to relax and enjoy life. But then again, it's not guaranteed. I know plenty of people in their 30s and 40s who excel at making themselves miserable.

I was significantly more happy in my mid to late twenties than as I am now, just turned 30.

For me, losing a family member made me realize in a real way that I was going to die too and there's a limited time on this earth to make something of yourself.

 

[cardine]

For me, losing a family member made me realize in a real way that I was going to die too and there's a limited time on this earth to make something of yourself.

I have bouts of unhappiness and this is usually the reason. I never get unhappy due to worldly concerns; I have enough confidence in my own ability that I can tackle any challenge life faces me.
I prefer to believe that morality will be conquered through technological singularity, but that is far form a sure thing. I try to deal with this by adding "bringing about technological singularity" to my bucket list of things to do, which then makes it one of those "life challenges" that I can easily conquer.

But still, it's tough knowing there is a ticking clock.

 

[eliquid]

I am happy, I just need to manage shit better and take myself out of the routine working mello drama that is mundane task someone else could be doing if I paid them to do it, AND trusted them.

 

[Andrey]

<----- Ramana on my avatar.

Nearly all mankind is more or less unhappy

because nearly all do not know the true Self.

Real happiness abides in Self-knowledge alone.

All else is fleeting.

To know one's Self
​

is to be blissful always.

 

[amateursurgeon]

I was significantly more happy in my mid to late twenties than as I am now, just turned 30.

For me, losing a family member made me realize in a real way that I was going to die too and there's a limited time on this earth to make something of yourself.

I guess it depends on how you handle that knowledge... personally, accepting my own mortality was one of the things that made me happier. It puts all the stuff you normally worry about into perpective.

 

[Andrey]

Another good one:

Meet your own self. Be with your own self, listen to it, obey it, cherish it, keep it in mind ceaselessly. You need no other guide. As long as your urge for truth affects your daily life, all is well with you. Live your life without hurting anybody. Harmlessness is a most powerful form of Yoga and it will take you speedily to your goal. This is what I call nisarga yoga, the Natural yoga. It is the art of living in peace and harmony, in friendliness and love. The fruit of it is happiness, uncaused and endless.

 

[swiftmoney]

I was significantly more happy in my mid to late twenties than as I am now, just turned 30.

For me, losing a family member made me realize in a real way that I was going to die too and there's a limited time on this earth to make something of yourself.

I have just been there, still coming through it to be honest.
Ignorance was bliss.
Im still a duckling on the scheme of things (hopefully) and have a lot to learn.
Got to get on getting on.

 

[Andrey]

Has anyone here done any psychedelic drugs? Has it helped at all with things in this thread? I have read a good bit of trip reports on Reddit, erowid and watched Youtube videos / documentaries on Mushrooms, LSD, MDMA, Ayachuasca. They always seem to come out it feeling clarity and bathed in love. I have no idea how I would get access to any of this stuff.

Yes, everyone here needs to try them. There is not reason not too. The worst that can happen is that you stay the same.

Tangy, you def need to get some acid. Do research about how to do it correctly to get the most benefit from it. You are in BC after all!

 

[Andrey]

I mean there has to be some pursuit of something, doesn't there?

Pursue only the permanent. Disregard impermanent.

What is not permanent is not worth striving for.

Everything that arises also passes away, so strive for what has not risen.

 

[ly2 from WF]

I'm pretty happy. I don't know if it's my non-existent workload or the weed, or just plain stupidity. But, I'm pretty happy.

 

[mrmeotz]

Rationality, an on-going desire for knowledge and social interaction and the need to feel successful/achieve something of significance (either for me, my family, my friends or anyone else) dictates this thing I call life(style).

I will never be satisfied with what I know, because there's always more, and more... and mooooore to learn. But I'm content with that and I enjoy the time I spent with my friends, my family and by myself. The 'happiness' will always overpower the 'misery', as long as you are aware of the things that are important in your life and that put a smile on your face.

It's the little things in life - a saying that grows on you as you get older.

Fuck status symbols, fuck taxes, fuck brussel sprouts.

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