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You’re Unhappy Because You’re Chasing the Wrong Things
Money and fame are average.
My five-year-old’s piercing scream could have shattered glass. One minute we were playing a board game and laughing, the next he was breaking our windows with a super-sonic blast from his lungs. He was not hurt. He was not frightened or in danger. What caused him to scream, you ask? He lost the game.
My kid is at the age where he thinks he’s supposed to win everything, every time. It doesn’t matter how insignificant the game, or whether we’re playing a game at all. He just wants to feel successful. It’s a feeling I’m not sure we ever outgrow.
What game are you trying to win? Are you even sure you want to win at it?
The hashtag “billionaire” has 10 million posts on Instagram. You need only scroll through your feed to see “influencers” posing with Lamborghinis, or quotes about success. The problem is, society’s ideas about success are extremely shallow. This all or nothing, glamour or mediocrity lifestyle doesn’t make anyone whole or happy.
Culture teaches us to idolize extremes — whether it’s money, power, politics, or fame. But I have some bad news.
Extremism is sexy, but it won’t make you happy.
