In pursuit of happyness
It's not H-A-P-P-Y-N-E-S-S Happiness is spelled with an "I" instead of a "Y"
#51
Following the post on Naval, I though this would be good. I started thinking, “what does happiness mean to me? And success?” Fortunately or unfortunately, I’m still figuring my answer out. I know what it does not mean to me, but the actual definition, I’m still searching. Below are two parts of two articles I found talking about these two topics. Plus there’s a lot of article reading for today.
Pursuing “Happiness”
“There is no way to happiness — happiness is the way.” — Thich Nhat Hanh
Most people believe they must:
First have something (e.g., money, time, or love)
Before they can do what they want to do (e.g., travel the world, write a book, start a business, or have a romantic relationship)
Which will ultimately allow them to be something (e.g., happy, peaceful, content, motivated, or in love).
Paradoxically, this have — do — be paradigm must actually be reversed to experience happiness, success, or anything else you desire.
First you be whatever it is you want to be (e.g., happy, compassionate, peaceful, wise, or loving)
Then you start doing things from this space of being.
Almost immediately, what you are doing will bring about the things you want to have.
You attract what you are. If you want the things happy people have, you must be happy to get those things. If you want things wealthy people have, you must be and live wealthy to have those things.
Results translate from attitudes and behaviors. Not the other ways around.
Other People’s Definition of Success
In the words of Srinivas Rao, host of The Unmistakable Creative podcast:
“At some point, I realized that I had to give up other people’s definition of success. This is one of the most difficult things to give up because it is so deeply embedded in our cultural narratives that it becomes the standard by which we measure our lives. Even as entrepreneurs we have collectively agreed that fame and fortune are the markers of success.
But, giving up other people’s definition of success is incredibly liberating and ultimately leads to the fullest expression of who you are and what matters to you. It’s not a one-time thing. It’s a daily habit of comparing less and creating more.”
“Success” doesn’t just mean what the larger mob of society says it means: lots of money, fame, and fortune. Many people with fame, fortune, and money have terribly empty, imbalanced lives.
Your success isn’t defined by what other people say.
No one can define your success but you. If you continue to let others tell you what success is, you’ll never reach it. Even if you did, it wouldn’t be a true success, because it’s not what you really valued.
No, living an extraordinary life means defining your own version of what success is. You can begin to spend your time on what really matters to you.
Do you really want 1,000,000 Twitter followers?
Do you really need to be in the Forbes 30 Under 30 list?
Do you really want to be a New York Times best-selling author?
Or is your version of success more nuanced, more narrowed, more focused, more specific?
If you want to live an extraordinary life, your definition of success must be your own. If we are always chasing what other people tell us to, we’ll never experience true success.
Let go of other people’s versions of success. Define your own success, and achieve it.
That is true success.
Article List— What I’m reading (10 articles a day x 7 days x 4 weeks x 12 months = 3360 articles a year).
PE-backed Topgolf may take a swing at 2020 IPO: Whew. I never thought Topgolf would be PE-backed. But by this time, what isn’t? Speaking of golf, Eli, when are we back?
How America Lost Dinner: I’d change “America” to “the world”. I know like 5 people who have dinner on the daily. Everyone else in the office or eating in meetings or in front of the television. Socializing means going out these days.
Simone Biles Stuns Fans, Crushes 2 More Records at the World Gymnastics Championships: Black girl magic✨✨✨
The average US worker would need 10 times the length of all human history to earn as much as Jeff Bezos: Skr Skr. Might as well give up now 😂😂😂
Apple Removes App That Helps Hong Kong Protesters Track the Police: Apple really can’t bite the hand that feeds it. haha
Atlanta Asks Google Whether It Targeted Black Homeless People: UMMM what’s going on here, please? It’s always us. When I tell people I can’t stay in America long term, they think I’m wilding
Gabon: Pascaline Bongo Ondimba loses her status in power grab: Old power making way for new power. Spent a good year researching power structures in Gabon. Very interesting stuff.
Will Smith Reveals The Wild, Wild Advice He’d Give His Younger Self: Content doesn’t really tell me much. But this question: “what advice would you give to your younger self” got me thinking. Dzifa and Sena answered it on their stories some days ago. I’m still figuring my answer out.
Piper Jaffray 38th Semi-Annual Taking Stock With Teens® Survey, Fall 2019: These are things the kids are interested in these days.
Revealed: the 20 firms behind a third of all carbon emissions: But it’s Africa that shouldn’t drill for oil because? Abeg shift jor. Get these companies to quit first.
'Collapse OS' Is an Open Source Operating System for the Post-Apocalypse: Black Mirror in real life.
The Style-Quantifying Astrophysicists of Silicon Valley: Black Mirror in real life x2
France/Africa: Paris, the power broker: Françafrique is still in full effect. Don’t underestimate France’s hold on Africa and it’ll take a lot to change that.
Some Swedish lawmakers want to abolish the monarchy: I would’ve been so tight if my grand dad told me he’s taking me off the payroll. Time to get to work then 😂😂😂😂.
Abiy Ahmed Wins 2019 Nobel Peace Prize For Helping To Resolve Border Conflict With Eritrea: Elite content right here 👏🏾👏🏾 Big up East Africa!
Imposter Syndrome Hits Harder When You're Black: “On paper (and in my Twitter bio), I’m a writer, an editor, a reporter, a journalist. In my opinion, however, I’m a fraud. I’m on edge that one day, people will stop seeing me as an “inspiration” and pull the rug out from under me, revealing to the world the untalented hack I truly am. For people of color, imposter syndrome isn’t just an imaginary voice in our heads. We receive almost daily messages from society that we don’t truly belong.”—This matter! Hm. Anyone else can relate?
The 5 Things You Must Sacrifice To Have a Better Future: Saw this on Eudy’s story and thought it was a pretty intuitive read. What do you measure yourself by? MUST READ****
AC Milan and Elliott: the hedge fund trying to crack Italian football: Damn, one of my favorite clubs…when I was a kid. Haven’t heard about AC Milan in a minute. Anyway, I don’t think football and financial engineering mix like that.
Podcast— What I’m listening to (1 podcast episode a day x 7 days x 4 weeks x 12 months = 336 podcast episodes). Broadening my experiences through others’ stories.
The Mysterious Mr. Epstein: Had to re-listen to the first three episodes today. This man had some serious issues. But a lot of access…which put him really close to a bunch of powerful people…and he was about to be chatting? Yea, definitely no suicide here. Someone offed him🤔🤔
Book— 1 Chapter a day x 7 days x 4 weeks x 12 months = 336 chapters. Most books have 10-12 chapters, so 1 year = 28 to 33 books. And my book list is nearing 1000 books. Send help 🌚
Back reading the Merchants of Debt. How KKR became your favorite top 2 PE firms. And its not #2.
📱📱Quote of the day
"It is not the critic who counts; not the man who points out how the strong man stumbles, or where the doer of deeds could have done them better. The credit belongs to the man who is actually in the arena, whose face is marred by dust and sweat and blood; who strives valiantly; who errs, who comes short again and again, because there is no effort without error and shortcoming; but who does actually strive to do the deeds; who knows great enthusiasms, the great devotions; who spends himself in a worthy cause; who at the best knows in the end the triumph of high achievement, and who at the worst, if he fails, at least fails while daring greatly, so that his place shall never be with those cold and timid souls who neither know victory nor defeat."
Extra credit: Who has this quote written on his shoes? I have a prize for first three people who tell me.
Remember folks: “Until the lion learns to write, every story will glorify the hunter.”