Think about all the worst decisions you’ve ever made. In almost every case, you were probably chasing happiness. Let international best-selling author Mark Manson guide you through his method of discovering your best values, and how to start making better decisions in your life that might actually make you happier. Or at least less miserable.
What You'll Learn
- The consequences of choosing “happiness” as a goal
- How to discover your most important values
- What to expect as you start making meaningful changes in your life
- International Bestselling Author
There are good reasons to be happy and bad reasons to be happy. Ted Bundy was happy killing people. Addicts are happy when they’re using. Good emotions are bad goals.
Our minds are built to always be at least a little bit unsatisfied with almost everything. This can help us build and improve things, but we can also easily get trapped on the hedonic treadmill.
Is it impossible to be happy? No, but it’s not the right question. If we’re doomed to struggle, at least we can pick the things that we WANT to struggle for.
Values are the things you are willing to struggle for. Your values determine your problems and your problems determine the quality of your life.
Good values tend to be internal and controllable, with increasingly positive returns. Bad values are the opposite -- external, uncontrollable, and with diminishing returns.
Figuring out WHAT to give a f*ck about is only half the battle. Most of us lie to ourselves about the things we care about, but our actions tell the real story.
It’s not as complicated as you think. The do-something principle -- what is the smallest action you can take in the right direction? Do that thing, and momentum will follow.
How can you be sure that you’re not an idiot for staying the course? It’s about progress and passion. Are you making progress? Are you still passionate in the face of failure?
Why don’t you feel better about being better? Big changes can be like getting out of a bad relationship. It can be painful to lose old parts of your identity, but you’ll be better off in the end.
You’re never done with this process. Make it a habit to periodically re-examine your life and your values, and make whatever changes might be necessary. Mark’s recorded voice will be here for you as often as you need.