The Happiness Equation: Want Nothing + Do Anything = Have Everything

by Neil Pasricha

True happiness is to enjoy the present, without anxious dependence upon the future, not to amuse ourselves with either hopes or fears but to rest satisfied with what we have, which is sufficient, for he that is so wants nothing. The greatest blessings of mankind are within us and within our reach. A wise man is content with his lot, whatever it may be, without wishing for what he has not. —SENECA

“For there is nothing either good or bad, but thinking makes it so.”

“I am convinced that life is 10% what happens and 90% how I react to it.”

None of us can control our emotions. We can only control our reactions to our emotions.

Look at the left of the graph. The less time available, the more effort you put in.

Remove all entry points to your brain except a single one you can control. In

Close the doors and lock the windows, but answer the bell. What’s the bell? It’s your number one top priority.

The greatest misconception you share with every other employee Multitasking.

How do you add an hour to your day with only one small change? You need to remove access. Close the doors, lock the windows, answer the bell.

But by closing off access to your brain . . . you’re opening up your mind.

You must make a quiet space for yourself where you will be undisturbed.

are we so busy? Because we’ve run out of space. And we don’t always value space enough in our lives.

What’s the secret step we can take to never be busy again? Create space. Build it in.

Space in your life comes from hacking at choice, time, and access. How to make every decision at twice the speed? Remove choice. What’s the counterintuitive way to having more time? Remove time. How to add an hour to the day with only one small change? Remove access.

Flip between Burn and Space. Take Thinking breaks. Take Doing breaks. Use the 3 Removals to add to your life.

When I was five years old, my mother always told me that happiness was the key to life. When I went to school, they asked me what I wanted to be when I grew up. I wrote down “happy.” They told me I didn’t understand the assignment. I told them they didn’t understand life. —ATTRIBUTED TO JOHN LENNON Nobody can give you wiser advice than yourself. —MARCUS TULLIUS CICERO

First, I think I can do it. Then I want to do it. Then I do it.

Pulling Do to the front and pushing Can Do and Want to Do into the distance where they don’t matter means you’ll get more done.

“An object in motion will remain in motion unless acted on by a larger force.”

motivation doesn’t cause action. Action causes motivation.

The greatest leaders just try and try and try.

You gain momentum.

So what’s the simple way to master your most important relationship? Be you. Be you. Be you and be cool with it. There is nobody else you can be better.

There is nothing more satisfying than being loved for who you are and nothing more painful than being loved for who you’re not but pretending to be.

“Happiness is when what you think, what you say, and what you do are in harmony.”

Marilyn Monroe said, “Imperfection is beauty, madness is genius, and it’s better to be absolutely ridiculous than absolutely boring.”

Mother Teresa said, “Honesty and transparency make you vulnerable. Be honest and transparent, anyway.”

Your relationship with yourself is the most important relationship in your life.

Ralph Waldo Emerson said, “To be yourself in a world that is constantly trying to make you something else is the greatest accomplishment.” But it’s not easy.

“Happiness is when what you think, what you say, and what you do are in harmony.” Say it again, Gandhi.

The Saturday Morning Test What do you do on a Saturday morning when you have nothing to do? Your authentic self should go toward that . . . The Bench Test How do you feel when you put yourself in a new situation? Your authentic self will lead you toward that . . . The Five People Test Who are the five people closest to you in the things you love most? Your authentic self is an average of those people . .

Take a look at the five people closest to you and remember you’re the average of them.

No. You know that by now. The 5 Greatest Regrets of the Dying are: Every time I read this list I am stunned into silence

if you’re being yourself, then: You do live a life true to yourself. You do overvalue your time and find a job that fits your life. You do express your feelings. You do keep in touch with your friends. You do let yourself be happier. Being you removes regrets from your life. Authenticity removes regrets from your life.

“I wish I’d had the courage to live a life true to myself, not the life others expected of me—This was the

“Many people suppressed their feelings in order to keep peace with others. As a result, they settled for a mediocre existence and never became who they were truly capable of becoming.

you can’t be who you’re not.

it’s better to live your own destiny imperfectly than to live an imitation of somebody else’s life with perfection.

Siddhartha, “What could I say to you that would be of value, except that perhaps you seek too much, that as a result of your seeking you cannot find.”

Eckhart Tolle says, “Only the truth of who you are, if realized, will set you free.”

“When there are no enemies within, the enemies outside cannot hurt you.”

“Don’t take advice.”

Advice is never objectively true in all situations.

Any cliché, quote, or piece of advice that resonates with you only confirms to your mind something you already know.

Don’t take advice. The answers are all inside you. Think deep and decide what’s best. Go forth and be happy. And don’t take advice.

Always remember there are only three goals. To want nothing. That’s contentment. To do anything. That’s freedom. To have everything. That’s happiness. What are the nine secrets to get us there?