Your happiness is dependent on many factors that are out of your control. You can do your best to make everything perfect and still end up unhappy.
Happiness is elusive and temporary. What made you happy today will become ordinary tomorrow.
So, cherish every bit of happiness no matter how small. There’s one simple activity that you can practice to make all these moments happier and more profound.
But it’s not the easiest thing to do as it’ll intimidate any newbie. But you’ll become addicted to it once you try it and no I am not talking about drugs.
You’re Trapped in a Web of Lies
Happiness means different things for everyone. For some, it’s the smell of earth after the first rain for others it might be the first fashion show of the season.
Poeple are inherently different but their happiness is hugely dependent on on their culture.
Your definition of happiness is highly determined by where you live. This study found that happiness in the USA is an individualistic pursuit as compared to East Asia where it’s more of a community pursuit.
Another factor that heavily determines happiness is the fulfillment of a desire but it’s a trap that we realize later on in life.
We have unlimited desires so satisfying one desire will keep you happy for a short while till the others rear their ugly heads.
You are happy for a few days till you have another desire. Consumerism and social media have made it even worse as it’s easier than ever to compare yourself with a random bloke on the internet, whom you know nothing about.
A desire will only keep you happy till the next one comes along rearing its ugly head. It’s endless and exhausting.
So, following your desires till you become happy will lead to a state of burnout that will make you question if you’re even capable of being truly happy.
The True Essence of Happiness
Desires are the shortcut to happiness that’ll leave you feeling empty and dissatisfied.
It’s a great achievement to be able to fulfill one’s desire, but running after them blindly will lead to a deficit in your mental health.
So, instead, try a more permanent way to find happiness even if it takes a longer time.
Finding your calling or a purpose or as the Japanese like to call it Ikigai will lead to long-term satisfaction and happiness that’ll stay with you even in the time of turbulence.
A life purpose is a hard thing to discover, you need to know yourself very well to pick a single job that you can do for the rest of your life.
You will try and fail several times before you land on your life purpose. There’s one thing you can do to find your life purpose faster and reduce your desires by half.
Dare to Discover Your Singularity
Humans are social creatures, we love being a part of a community, it makes us feel safe and accepted. It’s encoded in our DNA.
But society can hold you back and shape your worldview before you even realize it. It’ll make you think and act like everyone around you.
You will emboss the rules of society so deeply in your brain that it’ll get harder to find a flaw in the system even when it stares you right in the face.
A little dose of daily solitude can help you identify your strengths and weaknesses. It’ll give you a chance to think over your infinite desires to sort out which ones matter.
Solitude is the only way you can uncover your individuality. The father of Neuroscience once referred to it as the “supreme fertilizer of creative work”.
Solitude is an intimidating activity that can set you free from the biases you pick up from around you.
The Joy of Solitude
It’s hard to practice if you’re a beginner. Your hand will twitch to grab your phone out of the pocket to over scroll your brain into a trance. But it’s a necessary evil that you have to practice.
A few minutes without your phone won’t kill you, it’ll only make your inner voice stronger.
It will be both boring and scary but this one simple habit can help you find your true calling and differentiate which desires will contribute more to your happiness. It’s hard but it’s worth it.
Here’s how you can practice it daily without being half bored to death.
- Start with an activity that you like. If you like swimming, go for a swim alone. If you like walking go for a walk alone.
- Practice solitude in small doses to overcome the initial awkwardness. It’ll be less scary once you get used to it.
- Try to add solitude to different aspects of your life. Make it a part of your daily routine so you don’t have to schedule it any longer.
Conclusion
Solitude is the key to finding your purpose, it’ll make you more creative, decisive, and independent.
It’ll help you live a life that’s guided by your true values and not the ones that society forces on you.
So, give it a shot and try it today for just 10 minutes.