Weekly Question & Framework: September 20, 2024

Hello and welcome to the Curiosity Chronicle Weekly Question and Framework. In three minutes or less, I'll give you one question and one framework to get you thinking going into the weekend. Without further ado, let's dive right into it. A Question to Endure Stagnation how will you respond when you find yourself in the valley? Last week I had an interesting conversation with a 27 year old reader. She made a comment that stuck in my mind. It's easy to stay motivated when you have momentum. She's right. It's easy to push when things are working. It's easy to feel energized when you can see the results of your actions. It's easy to feel certain when progress is felt. But in my experience, you have to endure long periods of perceived stagnation, what I call the Valley of Stagnation. In between those periods of momentum, the Valley of Stagnation is the test. How will you respond when you find yourself there? What will you do when you can't feel your growth? What will your motivation look like when you see no progress? How will you react when your effort feels hopeless? The next time you find yourself in the valley, ground yourself in a few important truths. 1. Nothing bad ever came from diligent, focused effort. You may not achieve the thing you set out to achieve, but you will learn, you will improve, and you will gain in some regard. 2. Choose your beliefs wisely. You attract what you put out. Confirmation bias in life. Whatever you believe about yourself, you will find evidence to confirm that belief. Believe you're worthless. You'll find evidence to confirm that. Believe you're worthy. You'll find evidence to confirm that belief can create your reality. You choose and 3 embrace the cyclicality of life. In ancient Indian traditions there is a belief in a concept called the Wheel of Time or Kalachakra that says time goes through a natural three part cycle of creation, destruction and rebirth. Every period of creation is followed by a period of destruction. Every period of destruction is followed by a rebirth and a period of creation. The lesson Always believe the valley is followed by a brilliant climb to a new summit. If you center around these three truths, you will endure the pain of the Valley of Stagnation and find your way to the other side. A framework to find lasting the two types of happiness there are two core types of 1 hedonic happiness achieved through pleasure, enjoyment or satisfaction and 2 eudaimonic happiness achieved through purpose, meaning or authenticity. Hedonic happiness is associated with the maximization of short term pleasure. It is the happiness you feel when you seek instant gratification. Eudaimonic happiness on the other hand is associated with a focus on long term value oriented living. It is the happiness you feel when you delay gratification. Eudaimonic happiness was first proposed by Aristotle who argued that achieving durable, sustained happiness required people to live in accordance with their long term values and focus on a higher order purpose or meaning. Maslow's hierarchy of needs which places self actualization at the top of the pyramid is based on a eudaimonic view on happiness. To be clear, both hedonic and eudaimonic happiness have a clear and necessary role in your life. The exclusive pursuit of hedonic happiness will lead to a short term pleasure cycle that may not lend itself well to long term goals, progress or growth. But the exclusive pursuit of eudaimonic happiness will lead to an ultra long term focus that may sacrifice all of the short term pleasures and sweetness that provide daily bits of joy. The goal Find your personal balance point of hedonic and eudaimonic happiness. Embrace certain short term pleasures but focus on building a life grounded in your long term values and purpose. That's all for today's piece. I hope you enjoyed it. I hope you learned something and I hope you'll share it with others. If you enjoyed this, you're going to love my first book, the first five Types of Wealth. You can pre order it now by going to the five types of wealth.com or anywhere books are sold. That's all for today and as always until next time, stay curious friends.