The Boring Truth to Becoming Happy

Becoming fulfilled the non-sexy way.

Three years ago, I was in the lowest place I’ve ever been.

Right now, I’m certain I’ve never been more happy or fulfilled.

I love the work I do. I love the relationships I’ve built. I love how I have fun and take care of my body.

How did I get here? Simple…

I’ve made sure to never waste a day.

I don’t mean that I’ve never taken a day off. There have been plenty of hungover afternoons in bed ordering DoorDash…

What I mean is that I’ve never taken a day off from pursuing my values — the things which are most important to me.

Thus is the life of an Essentialist: Putting effort into the things that matter most…on a daily basis.

The result: you become 1% better/happier/more fulfilled each day.

This is an average, of course. There is always a push and pull. Two steps forward and one step back. Sometimes it’s more like eight steps forward and seven steps back.

But if you just keep moving at a steady pace (no need to sprint every single day), you’ll average out at about 1%.

Improving your skills. Expanding your comfort zone. Doing difficult things.

All of these inch you toward…(dare I say it?) your true potential (barf).

So why is it so fucking difficult to acquire a deeply fulfilling life?

Well, based on my 1% theory, the problem seems to be that no one really notices a 1% change.

When I read Dune earlier this year, turning one page out of 900 didn’t make me feel any closer to finishing it. I would read five chapters in a night and feel like my bookmark was in the same exact spot.

No matter how many times I pushed through Resistance and sat down to read, it felt like I wasn’t making any progress.

But that obviously wasn’t true. I eventually finished the tome. How? I just kept reading.

Consistently and intentionally pursuing your values every. single. day…You may not have a ton of orgasmic life-changing moments, but you will have some and those will be great. However, the real juice comes when you’ve been doing it for a while and can look back to see how far you’ve come.

There haven’t been any days where I’ve felt wildly different than I was the day before. But comparing who I am today to who I was three years ago…it’s like comparing myself to a stranger.

Keep going.

You don’t have to rush, just don’t stop.