101 Essays That Will Change the Way You Think

Achieve sustainable happiness

Instructions

Change your perspective about happiness.
Adopt the mindset that living your life in accordance with your higher, immaterial values will make you happier than pursuing fleeting pleasures and ambitions all the time.
Discover your life values.
Write down all your values. What is the most fulfilling thing in life? What activities give meaning to your life? For example, connection with others, honesty, acquiring and sharing knowledge, love, etc.
Start self-actualization.
Define the activities that will bring you closer to self-actualization. Describe how you should live each day to uphold your values. Follow your passion and do what you love the most.
Stop pursuing happiness.
Stop hunting for happiness and start seeking knowledge, ideas, and abilities to help you enhance what you care about and become who you want and need to be. For example, if writing brings you the most joy and you know deep down that you are a writer, focus on learning about writing, improving your writing skills, and sharing your stories with others. Your long-term happiness will come from the process of writing and sharing, not from the outcome, like book sales.
Maintain the happiness of excellence.
Enjoy the process and journey of self-realization and living according to your values. Focus on the joy that your lifestyle brings you. Do meaningful work. Embrace the purpose that gives you a sense of who you are, helps you grow as a person, and directs your energy toward something bigger than the daily pursuit of our fleeting desires.