indeed the 3rd point was inspired after listening to a replayed tim ferriss interview with Perel. it is so obvious yet left unseen right? our relationship is the foundation of our quality of life.
I’m so glad you mentioned the role of luck in happiness. I find that it’s the only thing I often don’t have lol - I’ve got the personal connection to it and the foundational relationships, but the luck eludes me. Sometimes I feel like it’s some ethereal external force as opposed to a game of chance, but then again any force that doesn’t come from within, IS in some ways per chance. It’s outta my hands!
oh so cool to hear this, could you expand on that when you say luck eludes you? when is the time when you think you should have, more luck? or is it just the randomness nature of probabilities that we are dealing with?
for me, I would like to think we are incredibly luck to be on substack, or on the broader scale, we are the luckiest generation to be alive right now at this moment through the history of humanity, as most of the time before us wasn't too, civilized?
I would love to think of modern civilization as a privilege but in some sense, I wish we didn't have all the advancements and digital progressions - when a life was just... simpler. In the same vein as 'ignorance is bliss', I sometimes feel we're burdened by the self-inflicted first-world-problems. But that's the pessimist/dystopian in me having a whiff at things.
I think luck eludes me when I'm greedy or egotistical. I think there might be a mystical/spiritual balance of how much ego you put out into the world versus how much luck comes your way. Again, a very whispy comment, but I think sometimes when I intentionally choose humility, I leave room for luck to find me? Gah, who knows.
this reminds me of the problems facing teenage girl with their time spent on social media that lead to anxiety and stress because of the never ending comparison. i definitely have that pessimistic side of me too as I don't know where the world is heading with all the accelerating tech stuff, what's our life purpose at the end of the day, right?
on that mystical/spiritual side of thing, we hear a saying growing up from taoism called "冥冥之中自有主宰", roughly translated to "within the hidden dimension, there is already a plan". somehow it reminds us to let go and don't force through things, which is the whole point of taoism. but still I would rather mix it up with the stoic way to look at what's within my control - say, pay attention to those precise moments when i am greedy, angry, and stubborn.
Thanks for this reflection Franco. I personally strive for contentment as the underlying emotion in life and taking joy in the small pleasures. Not quite there yet but maybe it’s like a muscle you train with gratitude and awareness.
Happiness seems too dependent on external factors.
Quality of relationships, as you point out, has a hugely disproportionate weight in overall life satisfaction. May we all grow in this!
it's definitely more like a muscle to train and a skill we can develop when it comes to joy and happiness. or i would like to think of it like weather - sadness is like rain, it just comes and goes, we just need to learn to embrace it as it is part of the journey.
Esther Perel: "The Quality of Your Relationships Determines the Quality of Your Life" 🫶
indeed the 3rd point was inspired after listening to a replayed tim ferriss interview with Perel. it is so obvious yet left unseen right? our relationship is the foundation of our quality of life.
I’m so glad you mentioned the role of luck in happiness. I find that it’s the only thing I often don’t have lol - I’ve got the personal connection to it and the foundational relationships, but the luck eludes me. Sometimes I feel like it’s some ethereal external force as opposed to a game of chance, but then again any force that doesn’t come from within, IS in some ways per chance. It’s outta my hands!
oh so cool to hear this, could you expand on that when you say luck eludes you? when is the time when you think you should have, more luck? or is it just the randomness nature of probabilities that we are dealing with?
for me, I would like to think we are incredibly luck to be on substack, or on the broader scale, we are the luckiest generation to be alive right now at this moment through the history of humanity, as most of the time before us wasn't too, civilized?
I would love to think of modern civilization as a privilege but in some sense, I wish we didn't have all the advancements and digital progressions - when a life was just... simpler. In the same vein as 'ignorance is bliss', I sometimes feel we're burdened by the self-inflicted first-world-problems. But that's the pessimist/dystopian in me having a whiff at things.
I think luck eludes me when I'm greedy or egotistical. I think there might be a mystical/spiritual balance of how much ego you put out into the world versus how much luck comes your way. Again, a very whispy comment, but I think sometimes when I intentionally choose humility, I leave room for luck to find me? Gah, who knows.
this reminds me of the problems facing teenage girl with their time spent on social media that lead to anxiety and stress because of the never ending comparison. i definitely have that pessimistic side of me too as I don't know where the world is heading with all the accelerating tech stuff, what's our life purpose at the end of the day, right?
on that mystical/spiritual side of thing, we hear a saying growing up from taoism called "冥冥之中自有主宰", roughly translated to "within the hidden dimension, there is already a plan". somehow it reminds us to let go and don't force through things, which is the whole point of taoism. but still I would rather mix it up with the stoic way to look at what's within my control - say, pay attention to those precise moments when i am greedy, angry, and stubborn.
Thanks for this reflection Franco. I personally strive for contentment as the underlying emotion in life and taking joy in the small pleasures. Not quite there yet but maybe it’s like a muscle you train with gratitude and awareness.
Happiness seems too dependent on external factors.
Quality of relationships, as you point out, has a hugely disproportionate weight in overall life satisfaction. May we all grow in this!
it's definitely more like a muscle to train and a skill we can develop when it comes to joy and happiness. or i would like to think of it like weather - sadness is like rain, it just comes and goes, we just need to learn to embrace it as it is part of the journey.