If you’re not happy right now, you have the ability to make changes and make decisions so a little bit later today, you’ll be happier. Every single one of us has this ability. And if you think this is all Woo Woo and Hipy thinking.. it’s not. Because look, we all know that eating right and exercising leads to better health. So why do so many people choose not to do it? And also, being a kind human being and treating other people well is one of the best ways to be a happier person yourself. So then why do so many people choose not to do that?
Stop Attaching Happiness To Possessions
Instead of attaching happiness to possessions or money in the bank, try attaching happiness to what makes you feel good? People talk all the time about chasing happiness…. and recently, someone I follow on Instagram, who I’ve never met in person, but who I’ve had some DM conversations with, posted something about happiness, and that sort of sparked this video. But why do we call it a chase? Like we’re chasing something that’s so elusive we might not catch it. Then, if we do catch it, how long will it last and what do we do with it?
Spend Time With Happy People
First, spending time with other happy people brings you happiness. Because think about it the other way. Who wants to spend time with negative people who’re always complaining about something, and doing nothing about it? Let me just say for the record that you cannot be happy by not being nice to other people. It just doesn’t work that way. That’s called being selfish. And that’s hard for some people to wrap their heads around, but it’s true.
Find Inspiration
Let’s talk about inspiration for a minute. Let me just say this right off the top…. Being nice and friendly to other people will bring you happiness, period. In it’s simplest form, being a friendly human being, saying Hi to people, smiling at people, giving compliments for no personal gain and tipping your servers well all comes back to you. Because if you’re always mean to people, you’re always gonna be the guy blaming everyone else for your own problems.
Eliminate Negativity and Drama
I will never understand hate comments on YouTube. I honestly have a really hard time wrapping my head around it. I mean, to go out of your way to be hateful and start name-calling and using personal attacks just because you disagree with something someone said in a video…. I feel sorry for those people because I know they’re life has to be in the toilet for them to be THAT pissed off at the world. There’s a saying… “Hurt people, hurt people”, and it’s true.
Being around nice people who are happy, is inspiring. Being around people who are successful is inspiring. And you have to see it that way, because you can’t resent people for having more than you. It really doesn’t make sense. Learn from those people and get inspired by those people so one day you can inspire someone else.
Living Life Without Satisfaction
Most people are living their lives without meaning or any satisfaction. They’re just going through the motions. They sit in traffic going to work at a job they hate, then they sit in traffic again on the way to a home they hate or a relationship they want to run away from, but they can’t. There’s no plan and no motivation to do anything else, or anything else that’s better. So nothing changes.
I mean, I get it…. You can’t just quit your job because you have bills to pay. You’ve got a mortgage and mouths to feed. But, what if you had enough money saved up so that you could quit? Maybe that money buys you 6 months to figure out something else that’s better? Start something that brings you joy. Give it attention and focus every day and you can eventually escape that life and start living the one you should be living.
You CAN Get Out and Escape
People need to realize that you CAN do something else. The life you’re living now, and the career you have now does not have to be your future. People that are stuck in shitty situations feel like they’re trapped, and there’s no way out, and trust me, I can totally relate. And just the basic thought and the idea that you’re stuck… that in itself can be crippling. Because if you say it to yourself enough times, you really start believing that you’re stuck and there’s no way out. But you CAN get out.
If you have ideas, or thoughts about something that could work, you owe it to yourself to give it focus and attention so it can turn into something that actually saves you. Set aside some time every day to work on your ideas. Because I can almost guarantee that you can find a few hours every day to work on it. You can, I know you can.
This Is Your Wake-Up Call
If you’re at a point in your life where you feel hopeless and the light at the end of the tunnel keeps getting smaller and smaller…. That’s your wake-up call! That’s it. That feeling of helplessness and self despair. That’s the feeling that will save your life. Because if you feel that, like I have, you’ll never want to feel it again. And you’ll do everything it takes to not be in that place again. I talked about this in a video a few weeks ago and the older we get, because we’ve lived more time, the more we experience loss and failure. And I believe there’s important lessons in failure, because if you haven’t felt failure, you don’t truly know what success feels like.
Failure Helps You Find Your True North
You need that experience of failure to teach you to get back in touch with yourself… with your True North. Your internal compass that gives you direction through life. Your True North is always pointing the right direction, and the emptiness you feel comes when you’re not following that compass. It’s always there giving you direction… you just have to follow it.
The problem is, it’s not the easiest road. It’s risky and a little dangerous, and most people take the safe road. But remember… the safe road got you to the unhappy where you are now. And the only way to escape is to take a different road. You can escape and be happy. You absolutely can. You just need a plan and you need to work that plan. Put some money aside every paycheck and spend time on your ideas until they come to life. Because if you want it bad enough, you’ll find the motivation. Somebody once said that you have to work your plan as if your life depends on it… because it does.
There’s a Difference
Now there’s a difference between just wanting to make a change and be happy, but doing nothing about it, vs, wanting it so badly you don’t have any other choice. Find the motivation and discipline to go after it and work it, because nobody else is gonna do it for you. And that’s what most people don’t find is the dedication and motivation. But the consequences of not making a change, is that you’re right where you are, right now, stuck living that unfulfilled and unhappy life. That’s your motivation.
I’ve Made Life Changes
I’ve made several life changes starting in about my late 30’s. I changed careers, I went through a divorce, relocated to a different state, went broke and almost homeless, and then started a new business from zero to what it is today. I’m 100% in charge of my future and I don’t have to suck up to anyone for a day off. Now, I don’t have millions of dollars in the bank, but that’s the wrong way to think about happiness. The fact that I get to do what I love and make my own schedule, that makes me happy.
Your Life is Temporary
Like it or not my friends…. The life you’re living is temporary. You might be like me, early 50’s feeling like you’re 25, full of energy…. But that will change. I promise you. You will not always be a young man. You will get old and things will get more difficult for you to do. What I need you to do is, remember that. Keep that old man that you will become in the back of your mind and let him motivate you to get your shit done now. Work while you can and Live while you can. Because one day, you won’t be able to. And that day might sneak up on you before you’re ready for it.
Placing Happiness Responsibility
Here’s something else to think about… A lot of people say to their spouse or their partners that; “You make me so happy, and without you I’d be nothing”. I mean I get that, but also realize the pressure you’re putting on the other person. If THEY are the only thing that makes you happy, you NEED something else. Because even if you don’t say it out loud, but just think it…. that’s a lot of responsibility you just put on that other person without them even knowing. You need to find happiness within yourself, not in somebody else. Because that feeling of happiness in someone else is Love, and that’s different.
We All Know What’s Wrong
We all know exactly what’s wrong with our lives, and yet most of us do nothing to fix it. We choose to sit and complain and blame it on something else. But here comes some tough love… if you’re not doing anything to fix your own situation, you don’t get to complain over and over about it. Because everybody’s heard it already and it’s getting old. You have to take action. You have to find motivation and discipline to change your own situation. Nobody’s gonna do this for you.
You’re a Superhero
I heard something once, and I think it was on one of Joe Rogan podcasts, but he said to live your life like you’re in a superhero movie. The movie starts right now with you in a shitty job, in a shitty apartment, and that’s you. As the movie goes along, you find the power to become the hero. You have to because that’s how superhero movies play out. It’s such a cool way to think about your life because it’s you, and you will overcome your challenges, and you will become the hero. I know you can. So, your movie starts right now. Live your life and become the hero of your own movie.
