APN67 - The 12 Hows of Happiness

You're listening to Optimize with Bryan Johnson. More Wisdom in Less Time this is a mini chapter from Brian's book A Philosopher's Notes. You can find it on Amazon.

And that wraps up the section on energy. Now we're ready for the principle on wisdom. As always, we've got a page full of quotes here. We'll start with the Buddha who says, as an irrigator guides water to his fields, as an archer aims an arrow, as a carpenter carves wood, the wise shape their lives. Vernon Howard tells us, do not be impatient with your seemingly slow progress. Do not try to run faster than you presently can. If you are studying, reflecting, and trying, you are making progress whether you are aware of it or not. A traveler walking the road in the darkness of night is still going forward. Someday, someway, everything will break open like the natural unfolding of a rosebud. Seneca tells us, there is about wisdom a nobility and magnificence in the fact that she doesn't just fall to a person's lot, that each man owes her to his own efforts and that one doesn't go to anyone other than oneself to find her. Abraham Maslow tells us, it seems that the necessary thing to do is not to fear mistakes, to plunge in, to do the best that one can, hoping to learn enough from blunders to correct them eventually. And finally, Viktor Frankl tells us what is to give Light must endure the burning. So wisdom. Wisdom is all about taking what we know and making that the essence of who we are as we see life as our classroom and every moment as another opportunity to live with more integrity. So the first mini chapter in this section on wisdom is called the 12 hows of happiness. People often ask me what one book I'd recommend if they could only read one book. Now before I wrote this book, Wink, I had a hard time answering that question until I read Sony Lie Bermirski's brilliant the how of Happiness, where she outlines the 12 scientifically proven ways we can boost our happiness. We touch on most of them in various ways throughout this little book. Here they are number 1 expressing gratitude number 2 cultivating optimism number 3 avoiding overthinking and social comparison number 4 practicing acts of kindness number 5 nurturing social relationships number 6 developing strategies for coping number 7 learning to forgive number 8 increasing flow experiences number 9 savoring life's joys number 10 committing to your goals number 11 practicing religion and spirituality and number 12 taking care of your body. Meditation plus physical activity plus acting like a happy person P.S. one of the coolest points Dr. L makes in the book is the fact that as we decide what happiness practices to focus on, we want to avoid the shoulds and pick the ones that really inspire us. Why? Well, we're much more likely to stick to the intrinsic goals that have deep personal meaning pps. So as you get inspired by all the ideas in this book, focus on the ones that really light you up, not the ones you think you should do. Cool. Cool. And while we're on the subject, what are your favorite ideas so far and how can you integrate them into your life?

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