In his amazing Ted Talk from Arbejdsglaede Live, Srikumar Rao says happiness is your innate nature. If, as Mr. Rao suggests, your happiness is your nature you may wonder why you are not experiencing happiness.
Mr. Rao also says everything you do is a quest for happiness. You can discover a lot of happiness in Mr. Rao’s Ted Talk and I encourage you to take a 20 minute inspiration break and watch this video.
If, however, you truly do not have 20 minutes to spare, or perhaps you’re not ready to invest 20 minutes for your happiness, here are the highlights of Srikumar Rao’s Talk:
Happiness is your innate nature.
Everything you do is a quest for happiness, so what do you have to get in order to be happy?
Anything you get, you can lose. Consider, instead, that there is nothing you have to get, nothing you have to do, and nothing you have to be to experience happiness.
Happiness exists within you every moment. At this point you may be asking why you are not experiencing the happiness you already have.
So why aren’t you happy?
According to Mr. Rao, you may not experience happiness because you have spent your life learning to be unhappy by buying into the “if/then” mental model. The “if/then” mental model is a belief that you have to achieve or acquire something to do or be something. It’s the idea that you can’t simply have happiness, you must gain it.
The “if/then” model is flawed because you continually change the “if” throughout your life, and any happiness you experience from the “then” is fleeting. You will never experience a truly happy life “if” your happiness is dependent on “ifs”.
To be happy, you must let go of the “if/then” mental model and accept happiness just as it is. Be happy with what you experience.
Investing in process.
Your actions are more-or-less within your control, however the outcome of even your best efforts is out of your control.
Society often teaches us to invest in the outcome, but the outcome does not often create happiness in your life. When you live this way, your well being is dependent on the outcome over which you have no control. To be happy, you must invest in the process.
When asked what would it take to be happy, most people would provide a list of achievements and material gains. Happiness is not defined by lists and objects, it is through your actions that you experience happiness.
Find passion within yourself, passion to do work you love, and you will invest in your process, invest in your journey. As you pursue the passion within you, the world rearranges itself around you. You experience the innate happiness inside you, and the outcome is to your liking more often than not.
Is this a journey I want to take?
Experiencing a happy life is a daily journey, not a destination you reach at the end. Each day, ask yourself, “is this a journey I want to take?”
Ignite the passion within you through your actions, and invest in your process.
I love your comments! Did you enjoy this Ted Talk? Have you bought in to the “if/then” model? How has this changed your view of experiencing happiness?
If you like what you just read, check out my book, “Beautiful Badass: How to Believe In Yourself Against the Odds” for more content like this!
