How to want less

ABC 153: On shrinking the denominator of the happiness equation

A pandemic. An attack on the Capitol. A collapse of abortion rights. A war. An imminent recession. A round of layoffs. Another trip around the sun.

Come December, we find ourselves in a tug-of-war trying to square the political atrocities of the past year with the personal triumphs, the immeasurable suffering with the boundless joy.

Then we vow to join a gym, read 20 books, meditate for seven minutes a day, and the cycle repeats. We’re all searching for a way to be just a little bit happier, but perhaps our interventions are misguided.

My favorite definition of happiness is a simple equation: what we have divided by what we want. Around this time of year—with all the presents and vacations and goal-setting—we tend to focus on the numerator of the equation. But in the quest for more, we often neglect the denominator, which is the topic of this week’s article.

Here’s the piece: How to want less

Also, some exciting news: I’m teaching my first course! It’s called Designing Your Next Career Step. If you/someone you know trying to figure out what’s next in their work/life, feel free to reply and I’ll give you a discount code.

Warmly,
Simo

P.S. The song of the week is my favorite track from Bad Bunny, the most streamed artist in the world last year. The full songs of the week playlist is here.