Most of us blunder through life’s complications – but if Einstein, Gandhi, Richard Branson and the Dalai Lama have taught us anything it’s that the simple truths about happiness are still valid. Here is the collective wisdom of the last few thousand years that They don’t want you to know about:
- Eat healthy. You are what you eat. Make sure that your chef is always using enough fresh, organic, biodynamic vegetables in cooking. Sure, it might be more convenient to have your chef pan fry that wagyu steak but that’s a shortcut. Isn’t it more delicious, tender and healthy to have it slow-cooked?
- Perform regular exercise. While everyone’s body shape, skills and interests are different, there is an optimum exercise plan for you. One of the most common mistakes in exercise is just launching into it. Don’t forget to talk to your personal trainer or sports physiologist first. Staying healthy doesn’t need to cost a lot of money: you can buy a decent home gym just by foregoing a good bottle of wine or two.
- Present yourself well. How you choose your dress and grooming will open or close many opportunities. If I had a penny for every homeless person who now works as a hedge fund manager because he had the inner drive to fashion his rags into a suit before his interview, I’d be a millionaire.
- Be a disciplined saver. Nothing shows more immaturity than spending all you earn. You should have at least three months’ expenses saved up in a rainy day fund. If you don’t a strongly-worded letter to your financial planner should be forthcoming. If you’re having trouble getting there, simplify. Even a few substitutions of a jet flight for Business class should make up the difference.
- Remember, money doesn’t buy happiness. Will it really matter to your life satisfaction if you have two or three beach houses?
- Respect the authorities and police. They are your candle in the dark; your shield against barbarity. That yacht doesn’t guard itself in that marina – those tax breaks don’t legislate themselves either.
- You can do anything you set your mind to. If there’s one problem unhappy people have is that their sights are too low. Instead of thinking big (how can I make CEO this year?) they let themselves wallow in the minutia of life (how can I make rent this week?).
- Treat everyone well and the goodness will come back to you. I’ve forgotten how many times the humble-looking stranger I’ve met at a golf club turned out to be an influential judge with the ability to swing things my way. This is why I never write off strangers at the golf club. Then there are the hundreds of homeless people that I’ve given a shiny penny (and dress advice) to. Once they become hedge fund managers (see above), I get a great return on my investment.
- Avoid toxic people in your life. If you find someone is a source of negativity you know what to do. Unless they are exuding joy from every pore, spending time with this person is a waste of your Universal Energy. The negative will always find excuses to be negative, whether it’s chronic illness, poverty or being shot by police. It’s up to us not to let them.
- Do what you love. If you don’t love your job (and I mean tap-dancing into work every day), quit. You deserve better – and will find it. It might take a bit of struggle to find What You Really Love but you can make do. Move back into your parents’ mansion. Cash out some of your trust fund. You’ll be back on your feet in no time.
- Slow down and smell the roses. If you find things are getting too serious, change up a little. Take a year off and travel the world. Delegate more management responsibilities to the company’s vice-president. Finally broach that live-in arrangement with the nanny. Your time is precious, and by having more of it to relax, you will find yourself rejuvenated – an island of meaning amidst a sea of stress and trouble.
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