EP 071: How I Bought My Happiness

For many years I worked my face off in business.
7 days a week and always on.

I was eating glass and grinding towards financial success.
It was suffering, and I was miserable doing it.

To give you an example, I refused to drive a car.

I would get an Uber or have Bianca (my wife) drive everywhere so I could be on my phone doing emails and calls.

The idea of wasting time commuting when I could be working more seemed insane to me!

I would say ‘no’ to any social events or holidays as, once again, that was time I could be working!

I did it because I convinced myself that once I have money, then I’ll be happy.

Like, I knew money wouldn’t buy me happiness directly.
But I thought it was a critical foundation.

It was the base that my happiness would be built on.

My plan:
Step 1 = make money
Step 2 = build happiness on top
Step 3 = amazing life with no problems 😂

Bulletproof right?

For some odd reason, I also took pride in how much I could suffer in business.
The sacrifice and pain I was willing to make to provide for my family.

I was also very good at hiding just how unhappy I was from others.

But eventually, after years of grinding, I hit my financial goal.
(yay!)

However, I realised quickly that shifting from that grind mode into being a happier person was not going to come naturally or easily for me.

After years of grinding, I was wired to be unhappy.

On the days I could have off to enjoy life, I felt guilty for not working.

I had made all my habits, behaviours and thoughts about grinding and making money, not being happy.

I didn’t know how to be happy anymore or even what it felt like.

And then one day, it suddenly occurred to me…
Surely, I wasn’t the first person to have this experience?

I couldn’t have been the odd one out.

So, like any reasonable person trying to solve a problem…
I hit YouTube, of course.

I went down an endless spiral of YouTube videos about happiness and eventually found one by Naval Ravikant.

Naval is a guy who I respected immensely for his business achievements.

I couldn’t believe he had made a guide on happiness.
I ended up watching the video several times.

The key point:

Happiness is a skill that can be learnt.
It is no different than learning to ride a bike.

What annoys me to this day is that when I look back on those years of grinding.

I could have been happy that entire time but I chose to be unhappy.

It’s possible to work your face off and be happy.
It’s possible not to work hard and be unhappy.

It’s not a binary option.

And I’m sure you have seen plenty of examples across your life, just as I have!

I lost years of my life that I can never get back, being unhappy.
And you don’t need to do the same.

So, on this week’s podcast, Grant and I discuss happiness.

More specifically, we share the strategies and tactics we use to live happier lives.

Swipe and deploy what has worked for us and bring it into your own life.
You can always go back to being unhappy if you don’t like it 😛

DISCLAIMER:
All information we share is NOT financial or investment advice and is purely intended for entertainment and educational purposes only. Always seek professional advice before acting on any financial decision.