《The Happiness Equation》

Want Nothing + Do Anything= Have Everything

Be happy First. 

This is the primary takeaway from the book. Instead of relying on something external to make you happy, make the choice to be happy.

Do it for you. 

Don’t decide to be happy for someone else. Do it because you want to be a person who’s happy.

Remember the lottery. 

Lottery winners aren’t inherently happier. Once your income reaches a certain point, money has diminishing returns.

Never retire.

Never stop learning, challenging yourself, or growing. (but it’s OK to retire from your job).

Overvalue you. 

Take care of yourself and invest in yourself. Spend time doing things you enjoy.

Create space. 

Take steps to create space for your goals, ambitions, and hobbies. This includes both physical space, mental space, nature space, and time.

Just do it. 

Make progress on what you want to do – however small. Even researching the next step is progress.

Be you. 

You don’t need to put on a mask or pretend to be someone else. You’ll be happier if you’re natural.

Don’t take advice. 

No one knows what will make you happy. Others can share what’s worked for them, but it’s up to you to figure it out.

Now though, I get most of my personal growth through self-evaluation – a combination of personal journaling, reading self-improvement books, scouring blogs, and looking for those elusive mindsets that I can adopt to improve my happiness.