The Number One Reason You’re Discontent with Your Life
How to Surrender Your Way Out of It Using Non-Resistance
Most of us aren’t happy with our lives on Earth.
There’s always more money to make, another kilogram to lose, another hot girl or cool guy to date.
The number one happiness trap is the misbelief that you’re supposed to be fully in control of life, and when you’re not, you can’t help being unhappy. But can you control the weather, Earth orbiting the sun, or any world political events?
You think life should align with your preferences, your unique likes and dislikes. Aren’t your preferences arbitrary? One man’s meat is another man’s poison. Growing up, you had positive or negative reactions to events, and you froze them by setting an arbitrary metric.
That’s why some people love the city’s noise while others can’t tolerate it. With those preferences, you judge whatever’s happening now as good or bad. When it’s bad, you resist.
The problem? Bad outweighs good. And what’s resisted persists.
We resist by escaping via social media and entertainment, through suppression and repression, or by pointing fingers: “You make me feel this way.” What you resist gets stored in your consciousness. It’s like storing garbage in your room—you can turn your head, but it festers, and you can’t avoid the smell.
You must let it go.
That means being aware of your preferences and not buying into them. It means surrendering attraction and aversion. When you feel you need that promotion to not be unhappy, sit with the fear of not getting your way. When you dislike the rain, be with that frustration.
Different cars pass through a tunnel. Attached to preferences, you only allow Rolls Royces through while pinning down garbage trucks. It causes a traffic jam and a terrible smell as the garbage rots.
Make your mind an empty tunnel—all vehicles, Rolls Royce or garbage truck alike, can freely pass through.