Category: Happiness

  • Extreme Ownership

    Extreme Ownership

    Develop the mindset of extreme ownership, that you own everything in your world. You are ultimately responsible for what happens in your world. If your relationship isn’t working out, what did you or can you do to fix it? If you aren’t making progress towards your goals, how can you fix it? Have you done everything you can to improve it?

    When you have this mindset, you become unstoppable because you are constantly searching for how you can become better or improve your world. It also means you have to become ultimately accountable because there is no one else to blame.

    But perhaps more importantly, you also become happier. By taking extreme ownership, you preclude the possibility of becoming a victim of circumstance. Nothing escapes your control because one way or another you own it and therefore can work to improve it. As a result, extreme ownership can be a key to happiness and fulfillment.

  • Life is About Balance

    Life is About Balance

    If you become a disciplined person, your discipline can dominate your mindset. In turn, this will lead you to feel guilty any time you deviate from your own standards or expectations. If you decide to get super fit and live a healthy life, any indulgence can riddle you with guilt. This guilt has the tendency to completely override any satisfaction that you might take from eating a piece of cholate cake (or whatever your guilty pleasure is). The same with finances. If you choose to save and live a frugal life, then spending money can bring a lot of feelings of guilt.

    But life isn’t about scrimping and saving every penny, or ensuring every calorie you eat is as nutritious as possible. Life is about being satisfied, fulfilled and happy. I have observed that the best path to this is to be disciplined and hold yourself to a high standard, but to also be able to suspend this discipline so you can indulge in the finer things in life also.

    Don’t be too disciplined. Don’t indulge too much. The right answer is a healthy balance between the two.

  • The MBA & the Fisherman

    The MBA & the Fisherman

    An MBA student graduates and decides to celebrate with a trip to a small coastal Mexican village when a small boat with just one fisherman pulled in and docked. Inside the small boat were several large yellowfin tuna. The MBA complimented the Mexican on the quality of his fish and asked how long it took to catch them.

    The Mexican replied, “Only a little while, senor.” The MBA then asked why didn’t he stay out longer and catch more fish. The Mexican said he this is all he needs to feed his family. The MBA then asked, “But what do you do with the rest of your time?”

    The Mexican fisherman said, “I sleep late, fish a little, play with my children, take siestas with my wife, Maria. And I stroll into the village each evening where I sip wine, and play guitar with my amigos. I have a full and busy life.” The MBA scoffed, “I got my MBA and I can help you. You should spend more time fishing and with the proceeds you can buy a bigger boat. With the money you make you can buy several boats and eventually you will have a fleet of fishing boats. Instead of selling your catch to a middleman you would sell directly to the processor, eventually opening your own cannery. You would control the product, processing, and distribution.”

    “And what then, senor?” asked the fisherman.

    “Well, then you would need to leave this small coastal fishing village and move to Mexico City, then LA and eventually New York City, where you will run your expanding enterprise.”

    The Mexican fisherman asked, “But, how long will this all take?”

    To which the MBA replied, “I’m not going to lie to you. It’s not quick. It will probably take 15 to 20 years.”

    “But what then, senor?” asked the Mexican.

    The MBA laughed and said, “That’s the best part. When the time is right you IPO and sell your company stock to the public and become very rich—you would make millions!”

    “Millions – then what, senor?”

    The MBA said, “Then you could retire, move to a small coastal fishing village where you could sleep late, fish a little, play with your kids, take siestas with your wife, stroll to the village in the evenings where you could sip wine and play your guitar with your amigos.”

  • Happiness is a Choice

    Happiness is a Choice

    Happiness is a choice. You choose to be happy. But it takes work to cultivate this mindset. It doesn’t always come naturally or immediately. It can take work, kind of like building a muscle. But if you dedicate yourself to this, you can eventually completely control your thoughts and mindset. When you can determine your thoughts, you determine your own happiness. In other words, happiness is just a thought away.

    Happiness comes from training your mind to be happy.

    Also managing expectations.