Struggle All You Want. Happiness is Already Here.

“Everything we need is already here.” -Porter Robinson.

There’s something attractive about persistence. When we see people achieving large goals through determination and sacrifice—we’re reminded of the many slivers of insignificant efforts, that when tallied up, culminate into something special.

There’s a certain sense of accomplishment instilled within us when we struggle for something. And it’s true—some of the great pleasures in life can only be achieved through consistent effort. Can only be accomplished through struggle and strife.

But It’s also masochistic in many ways, convincing ourselves that the more we struggle for something, the more the reward has value.

This is fallacious. There are many things in life worth appreciating that require no struggle. So why is it that we place value in struggle over ease? There are many things in life that should come easy, though because of the “struggle = value” equation, we tend to devalue the things we either already have or pay no attention to them at all.

Take, for instance, your breath. The fact you stood up this morning. The fact that the sun still rises. The fact that you drank clean water this morning. The fact that you have a roof over your head.

When was the last time you truly felt blessed to have these things?

I can promise you, an individual with lung cancer would be envious of your breath, yet you take it for granted.

I can promise you, a paraplegic would be envious of you ability to stand, yet you take it for granted.

I can promise you, a bed-ridden individual would be desperate to feel the sun on their skin, yet you take it for granted.

…and so on.

It’s too easy to take things for granted. We cruise through life, unaware of our blessings until they are taken away. Once taken, we notice the impact on our well-being.

Loss forces us to recognize what we once had.

Struggle gives perspective. When we are struggling, it creates a further desire for the outcome we chase. We start to appreciate the things we don’t have because we so vividly imagine a world with the thing we are missing.

And yet, desire and the act of appreciation are two very different things. You must learn to train both muscles.

Don’t trick yourself into thinking you need struggle to find fulfillment or satisfaction.

Don’t wait for loss to force you to appreciate something you can no longer have.

May I remind you, “Everything we need is already here.”

That phrase is such a powerful way to frame life and you should include it in your toolkit.

At any moment in time, you can pause and say those words. In fact, do it right now. Look around.

If you were trapped in a box, forever locked in place with the things you have now, could you find happiness? Would you be able to make peace? Could you, if told to walk in the shoes of Sisyphus, find happiness?

I’d wager yes, but you’d find that it’s not just the things we struggle for that bring us fulfillment, but also the simple things. The in-plain-sight pieces of our life that we brush by on a daily basis, never affording the time to acknowledge just how much of an impact they actually have.

Once we can appreciate the simplicities in life—the true simplicities—there’s a sense of peace that follows. Peace in knowing you don’t need much to find fulfillment on this rock we call earth.

Take it all way, and watch me be happy.

Til next time,

sapoots

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Today's Lesson, by sapoots