Stop waiting for things to happen to decide whether you should be happy or not. Most of us postpone our happiness because we feel we don’t deserve it. This stems from our uncountable number of desires in our life. Naval Ravikant describes desires as “a contract you make with yourself to be unhappy until you get what you want”. When we start wanting things, we start creating these contracts in our heads. Some of us have hundreds of them if not thousands. This can be detrimental to our mental health. Start becoming more aware of what you choose to desire.
The funny thing is that even once we get what we want, we don’t get any happier, we just no longer feel unhappy about not having it. We’re back in the same spot before we desired it. Then we start looking for new things to want and the cycle continues.
At this point, we’re all aware that true happiness isn’t achieved through external means. There is nothing in the world that can make us happy forever. Remember if you’re not happy with what you have now, you probably won’t be any happier once you do get those things you desire.
One of the best ways to remain happy and at peace is through the practice of habitual gratefulness. It’s the practice of acknowledging and being grateful for what you have regularly. Whether you’re journaling or meditating, start listing out the things you’re thankful for. This will force you to start seeing your life in a more positive light. Do it every day. The power of gratitude comes from daily practice. So the next time you start hitting walls of anxiety or stress, you’ll automatically fall back on the practice of gratitude to calm you down.
- Sal