Why are
you here? Go ahead, turn away from the screen, throw your head back, and think
about this. Why did you begin reading this; what do you hope to get out of it?
If you have any preconceived notions about what you’re about to read, leave
this blog and come back with an open mind. But I suppose before I make you
answer that question, if even only to yourself, I should do the same.
I was once asked at a job interview where I see myself in five years. I don’t know if this was shtick, or if the guy had simply run out of intelligent-sounding questions to ask, but this question hadn’t fazed me one bit. I knew where I wanted to be in five years. I know where I want to be in 10, in 20, in 30, in 50 years. It is the same place I wanted to be as I was sitting there about to answer the most asinine of interview questions: happy. “If I’m happy here in five years, I’ll stay. If I’m not, I’ll leave,” was my answer. I got the job.
I’m here, writing these words, these wisdoms I gathered in my quest to know myself to help everyone who reads them live a slightly (or greatly) happier life. Perhaps in a bout of insanity, I had convinced myself I discovered the secret to a happier life. And is happiness not our ultimate goal? Let’s pause here.
There will be time to stay on topic, narrow and strict, but this isn’t it. This is where I go on tangents in an effort to make you, my reader, realize the insanity that transpires inside my head which should you chose to understand, will hopefully make your life a little bit easier.
Ask yourself: Am I completely happy now? Few people on this planet can answer this in the affirmative while being true to themselves. I don’t feel I’m going out on too far of a limb when I posit that nearly every single human being would wish to change at least one thing to drive that happiness factor up by a notch. This is normal. This is the reason people to make more money, marry beautiful people and live in big houses. Shallow? Definitely. Unfounded? Certainly not.
Now let’s get back to why I’m here, in your brain, trying to tell you that there’s a better way to live a life, not your life, but A life. Two main reasons: first, we as a society have lost sight of what happiness truly is, and I’m hoping to help you find it; second, we have lost sight of the big picture, and I would like to make an effort to pass along the “what’s the big picture” approach to life. The former is abstract and complicated; it is what this entire blog, with all of its forthcoming entries, is focused on. But the latter is not really that complex.
Here’s a simple example: If I approached a person of the Western world at random and informed the person she had just won $500 million in a lottery drawing, that would make the winner ecstatic. I know it would certainly make me ecstatic. But if we peal back the layers of the onion, we soon discover it’s not the possession of $500 million that makes her happy. It’s paying off her student loans or mortgage and being debt free; or quitting a dead-end job to pursue true passions; or helping out a close friend or family member in need; or being free to donate to a favorite charity. You see my point: money doesn’t make us happy. It’s the experiences we can have because we have it that make us happy.
So here we are. You are where you are in your world. I am where I am. And for whatever reason, I’m putting thoughts in your mind of how great it would be to have $500 million. Wouldn’t it? But why? Remember the preface? Ask yourself, “why?” But forget about the money, that’s not what this is about. I don’t have a get-rich-scheme to pass on. Sorry! Plus, wouldn’t it be dumb of me to assume that people with money are happy just by virtue of having it?
I write all of this for two types of people. First is the person who is unhappy with some aspect of his life. I hope that this person, through reading all of the forthcoming, will at the very least be able to identify a point in space and time where he could be happy and take one step toward that space.
Secondly I write for the individual generally happy in life, but with a passion for self-inquiry, deeper understanding of self and those around her, and a desire to learn to be 100 percent honest with herself. It isn’t always easy to classify yourself into one or both of these categories. Luckily, that’s partially what the next chapter is all about.
I was once asked at a job interview where I see myself in five years. I don’t know if this was shtick, or if the guy had simply run out of intelligent-sounding questions to ask, but this question hadn’t fazed me one bit. I knew where I wanted to be in five years. I know where I want to be in 10, in 20, in 30, in 50 years. It is the same place I wanted to be as I was sitting there about to answer the most asinine of interview questions: happy. “If I’m happy here in five years, I’ll stay. If I’m not, I’ll leave,” was my answer. I got the job.
I’m here, writing these words, these wisdoms I gathered in my quest to know myself to help everyone who reads them live a slightly (or greatly) happier life. Perhaps in a bout of insanity, I had convinced myself I discovered the secret to a happier life. And is happiness not our ultimate goal? Let’s pause here.
There will be time to stay on topic, narrow and strict, but this isn’t it. This is where I go on tangents in an effort to make you, my reader, realize the insanity that transpires inside my head which should you chose to understand, will hopefully make your life a little bit easier.
Ask yourself: Am I completely happy now? Few people on this planet can answer this in the affirmative while being true to themselves. I don’t feel I’m going out on too far of a limb when I posit that nearly every single human being would wish to change at least one thing to drive that happiness factor up by a notch. This is normal. This is the reason people to make more money, marry beautiful people and live in big houses. Shallow? Definitely. Unfounded? Certainly not.
Now let’s get back to why I’m here, in your brain, trying to tell you that there’s a better way to live a life, not your life, but A life. Two main reasons: first, we as a society have lost sight of what happiness truly is, and I’m hoping to help you find it; second, we have lost sight of the big picture, and I would like to make an effort to pass along the “what’s the big picture” approach to life. The former is abstract and complicated; it is what this entire blog, with all of its forthcoming entries, is focused on. But the latter is not really that complex.
Here’s a simple example: If I approached a person of the Western world at random and informed the person she had just won $500 million in a lottery drawing, that would make the winner ecstatic. I know it would certainly make me ecstatic. But if we peal back the layers of the onion, we soon discover it’s not the possession of $500 million that makes her happy. It’s paying off her student loans or mortgage and being debt free; or quitting a dead-end job to pursue true passions; or helping out a close friend or family member in need; or being free to donate to a favorite charity. You see my point: money doesn’t make us happy. It’s the experiences we can have because we have it that make us happy.
So here we are. You are where you are in your world. I am where I am. And for whatever reason, I’m putting thoughts in your mind of how great it would be to have $500 million. Wouldn’t it? But why? Remember the preface? Ask yourself, “why?” But forget about the money, that’s not what this is about. I don’t have a get-rich-scheme to pass on. Sorry! Plus, wouldn’t it be dumb of me to assume that people with money are happy just by virtue of having it?
I write all of this for two types of people. First is the person who is unhappy with some aspect of his life. I hope that this person, through reading all of the forthcoming, will at the very least be able to identify a point in space and time where he could be happy and take one step toward that space.
Secondly I write for the individual generally happy in life, but with a passion for self-inquiry, deeper understanding of self and those around her, and a desire to learn to be 100 percent honest with herself. It isn’t always easy to classify yourself into one or both of these categories. Luckily, that’s partially what the next chapter is all about.
No comments:
Post a Comment