15 subtle ideas that will make you happier than 96% of people

Untethered Mind, Wednesday Edition, 3.5 min read.

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If the header of this article got you annoyed, you might benefit from reading on.

I know, I’m being cheeky.

But how we interpret the world (and the juicy hooks we read) plays a big role in our overall well-being.

Here are some ideas that have helped me maintain my happiness even if I have ups and downs:

Happiness is not something you get from ‘out there.’

We all have access to it from within, but we often close ourselves off to this spring of happiness.

We do this in our thoughts and in how we pollute our bodies with junk and drugs.

In seeking happiness, we emphasise that we haven’t got it yet, which makes us feel less happy.

When you are present and relaxed, you are happy, regardless of what is happening in the world that you dislike when you think about those things.

It’s okay to not always feel okay.

It doesn’t mean something is wrong.

Our resistance to not feeling okay often strengthens the feeling of ‘unhappiness.’

The quickest route to feeling more of our innate happiness is to let go of resistance to the nature of things.

If you really want a neat trick for staying depressed — blame others for your problems.

If you want a fast track to feeling good, take ownership of your shit, quit whining and create something.

Humans are creative beings.

If we react more (complaining) than create (building), we deny who we are.

Losing what it means to be human is why we feel unhappy.

An overlooked component in happiness research is withdrawal and imbalance.

When we consume processed crap, we’ll feel bad, and it’s challenging to feel happy when our body is in disarray after eating a bowl of Twinkies.

When we quit any kind of drug, even caffeine, we’ll feel withdrawal — including psychological withdrawal.

I’ve felt flat and unmotivated for weeks because of this, but I am still happy beneath it.

I don’t equate short-term displeasure and chemical imbalance with unhappiness.

The happiest people have stopped looking for happiness.

Instead, they focus on creating things, being consistent, and being useful to others.

You can be the happiest person in the room and not feel jacked up and high.

Modern (unhappy) normies think that happiness means you need to be smiling big, sparkly smiles all the time. It doesn’t.

Happiness is quiet acceptance, not amped on dopamine.

An unnatural diet inhibits your ability to feel happy and creative.

This is why I eat a primal diet that hasn’t changed much in the last 1000 years.

Human bodies evolve slowly. Our diets have evolved quickly.

Is there a link between brain fog and wolfing a loaf of bread? Of course there is.

Bread and doughnuts are processed (delicious) garbage that blocks your deepest sense of happiness.

Many of us are frustrated because we think things need to be harmonious for us to live a good life.

But life is chaos, num nuts. Let go to this reality. Expect the shitty moments. When they come, you can take them gracefully.

You navigate the Earth like water, not mud.

We’ve lived entirely out of sync with how humans have naturally grown accustomed to living.

I.e. spending lots of time outdoors, in the sun, eating meat, broth and a bit of fruit, and not typing in equations on Spreadsheets.

Most of this modern work we get stressed about is essentially meaningless manufactured claptrap soon to be replaced by robots, here to prop up an illusory machine that could collapse at any moment.

What does this all mean?

It means we must find compassion for ourselves.

You’re doing incredibly well for someone willing to put up with all this — as we have for centuries.

The best we can do is make the most of it, find meaningful work that interests us, and find a way to enjoy it.

Happy people are willing to be disliked if it means embracing and expressing their true nature.

Follow what others might criticise as ‘weird’ if it’s ethical and makes you happy.

Finally, if you’re worried that you aren’t ‘happy enough,’ you might want to look into letting go of yourself and figuring out a way to make others happy.

One way (I hope) I do this is through my daily writing.

I can see I help people through my words, and this makes me the happiest of all.

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Thanks for reading.

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