Comments on: Simple Versus Complex Happiness

By: Kathryn J. Stiles Cook

Kathryn J. Stiles Cook — Fri, 19 Feb 2010 04:23:10 +0000

re: 4. – Smile while you talk.
Part of my job is to assist angry customers. When I have a phone call passed to me the first thing I do is stand up, take a deep breath, put on a big smile. IT REALLY HELPS!! Try it!!

By: Randy Sandknop

Randy Sandknop — Fri, 19 Feb 2010 04:15:51 +0000

All the best things in life are simple … but seldom easy. It’s simple to wake up in the morning and immediately begin a mental gratitude list. The hard part is remembering to do it as the thoughts of the coming day or the memories of yesterday overtake our sleepy brain. Simple but not easy … and yet one of the most effective happiness tools ever!

Thanks for this list! I agree, simple is better than complex. Simple and easy is even better. Now to get the self-leverage to actually do these simple, easy things long enough to form new habits, that’s the ticket! And that’s Practice Happiness!

Happy blessings~
Randy Sandknop
http://www.practicehappiness.com

By: Privilege of Parenting

Privilege of Parenting — Wed, 17 Feb 2010 04:22:53 +0000

Hey Jared,

Thanks for this, and for the spirit of wellness that is in general short supply because corporate America cannot make any money off of people without fear and over-burning desires.

My additional notion of happiness, although I’m not so sure it’s simple to live, is to unconditionally want exactly what we have at this pulsing moment.

This, I find, frees us to master the lessons of our blocks and frees us to move forward if we’re stuck, and to savor life if we’re not.

Namaste

By: jaredmatthewkessler.com » Blog Archive » Owning Less – So It Won’t Own You

Sat, 06 Feb 2010 18:23:47 +0000

[...] familiar? It doesn’t make sense to keep paying for things you don’t even have anymore. Does [...]

By: Alex Blackwell

Alex Blackwell — Mon, 01 Feb 2010 12:20:33 +0000

Perfect post for me right now. With our children getting older, we are planning to downsize our life. Not only are we looking to buy a smaller house, but we are finding we need less “stuff” right now. Happiness doesn’t exist in the things we have, but in the life we create.

By: JDumont

JDumont — Mon, 01 Feb 2010 10:57:34 +0000

Loved this post and all the others on zenhabits.

I’m a student studying away from home, and I’ve managed to live without debt. I’ve got all the usual expenses of rent, food, petrol etc but I also pay international student fees (about 3 times the usual rate). If I can manage to live debt free then I’m sure others could as well.

Getting rid of clutter…I LOVE IT!
Been slowly culling my possessions now for about a year and although i still have residual stuff that I know I want rid of but haven’t got round to selling yet, I’m almost there.

I live a 3 minute walk from the studio I work at, I think I’ve got that nailed.

As for smiling, well I’m a grumpy b*&@&(*d. Something I need to work on…

By: tracy

tracy — Sat, 30 Jan 2010 23:40:35 +0000

i love the idea of simplicity. it is difficult to aquire simplicity. it is useless unless you let go of everything. i’ve done this for 6 years and now i am homeless in america and monetarly poor when i stay in america. i have a beautiful home in Thailand and i’m a millionaire of the soul when i’m there… i try to trick my self into believeing this and it is true your thoughts are your reality.

By: Adventure-Some Matthew

Adventure-Some Matthew — Fri, 29 Jan 2010 23:48:26 +0000

Great points, all of them!

About the debt, I have a friend who will be graduating from college this year, with no debt. He lived with his parents until married (they both had jobs to pay for living expenses) to save on rent. After getting married they have only one car that is paid for. My wife and I will have debt when we graduate, but we also have a plan in place to get rid of it as quickly as possible.

We have only one vehicle and do quite nicely, even without using public transportation (such as is offered here).

It is possible, you just have to look outside the normal way of doing things.

By: Mike

Mike — Fri, 29 Jan 2010 23:43:05 +0000

I also want to respond to Ryan’s comments. Jared hit the nail on the head when he spoke about understanding the difference between wants and needs.

It is possible to attain an education without going into debt. It probably will take longer, working part-time while going to school part-time or even working full-time while going to school at night. The upside is that one will gain so much more from work experience that is not learned in the classroom. It really does count with employers!

Do you really need a car? Walk, ride the bus, bicycle… I’ve recently heard of coop ownership of vehicles that seems to be working well for some. “Green” alternatives are healthier for you (exercise) as well as for the planet (fewer fossil fuels). And your health WILL contribute to your happiness, especially for the long haul.

It’s true that buying a house is difficult without going into debt – but it can be done. Muslims do it. (It is against their religion to pay interest, if I understand correctly) Sometimes rent-to-own is an option. Sometimes an in-depth analysis reveals that renting is actually cheaper.

By: Melissa Gorzelanczyk

Melissa Gorzelanczyk — Fri, 29 Jan 2010 20:49:55 +0000

Jared – I like your ending. And I can vouch for #3 – I commuted 45 minutes for 2 years and by the end was way more stressed out than necessary. Its definitely not worth it.