Travel and New Experiences
There are a few sub-themes to which I follow in order to maintain happiness. However, my overarching theme is this:
Happiness is sustained fulfillment.
Fulfillment is born out of creating art.
What does that mean? How do I achieve this baseline?
- Create art.
- Be authentic.
- Travel and have new experiences.
- Solid relationships: friends/family.
- Peace where I live.
Travel
Much of my best reading gets done on airplanes. In my experience, zero reading gets done in the actual airport. Too much background noise, gate changes, and the constant distractions of awaiting the boarding process. However, once I’m in my distraction-free bubble in the air, I can power through books with ease.
To try and recreate this distraction-free environment, as best as possible at home, I put on my noise canceling headphones and set the iPhone to airplane mode.
Booking airline tickets 2-4 months in advance gives me the freedom to fly. With that much planning in advance, most ticket prices are in the $200-300 range for roundtrip; even west coast trips.
Budgeting for this is of upmost importance to me. I try and keep them to weekend trips, even if it is a 3-day weekend, as to not disrupt the day job. However, I find the inspiration that I gather from traveling to new places fuels my creativity and only enhances my work.
Authenticity
There are a few sub-themes to which I follow in order to maintain happiness. However, my overarching theme is this:
Happiness is sustained fulfillment.
Fulfillment is born out of creating art.
What does that mean? How do I achieve this baseline?
- Create art.
- Be authentic.
- Travel and have new experiences.
- Solid relationships: friends/family.
- Peace where I live.
Being authentic.
I believe in being 100% authentic. The person that I am at work is who I am at home and amongst my friends. What you see is what you get.
After observation, some folks in life learn to conceal genuine thoughts and feelings, which can be an aspect of insecurity. A breakdown in communication sure, but they are trying to protect themselves. When encountering someone who is authentic, it can be intimidating. They hide behind a veil and this exposes them.
Trying to be someone who we are not, trying to “make the right moves”, or the fear of making the wrong decision: all of those reasons hinder us from being truly authentic.
Keep Your Freedom
There are a few sub-themes to which I follow in order to maintain happiness. However, my overarching theme is this:
Happiness is sustained fulfillment.
Fulfillment is born out of creating art.
What does that mean? How do I achieve this baseline?
- Create art.
- Be authentic.
- Travel and have new experiences.
- Solid relationships: friends/family.
- Peace where I live.
Give yourself options.
Will saying yes to _______ give up my freedom?
Everything in life is about having as many options as possible so you can maximize your freedom.
— James Altucher
The Choose Yourself Guide To Wealth
Keeping your options open is paramount in making decisions. Be patient, think it through, and do not act out of emotion nor haste.
It’s not always about money either. Will that “dream job” paying $400,000 a year also absorb all extra free time that you have? If so, not worth it. It goes against theme No. 1, “Create art.”
Sure, there are always bills to pay. Having that day job, which pays the bills, allows you the freedom to work on your art for a couple hours every morning. But it’s a balancing act. Eventually, the art will start to pay the bills. ( Just don’t chase after it. ) Being mindful and adjusting the calibration of that combination comes with practice and assessment of self.
Be able to create art.
The freedom to create art. That’s what I love.