Why money & comfort are making you unhappy
Making life more difficult, to make it more fulfilling
Hello beautiful readers š
Hereās your weekly injection ofĀ Steroids For Your Brain š§
(PS: last week I was down with insomnia + high fever, but weāre now back to our regular Thursday schedule)
Why money & comfort are making you unhappy
When I was a desperately poor 16-year-old, eating 5p reduced sandwiches from Sainsburyās and waking up to snail infestations,Ā moneyĀ looked like the shiny answer to everything.
Society willĀ let you believe this until you make enough money to realise itās allĀ one big hilarious scamā¦spinning morons (like you and me) round the capitalist cycle:
Itās not just that money doesnāt = happiness, itās far worse: money oftenĀ decreases happiness.
Iāve found that (ironically) living less comfortably on less money has actually increased my life fulfilment. Hereās how it could for you, tooā¦
š The full article:Ā Why money & comfort are making you unhappy
Something To Make You Think š¤
Is your life too easy? And if so, how might you reintroduce challenge?
As discussed in this weekās article, itās too easy to get trapped in a cushy lifestyle.
Obviously, a cushy lifestyle sounds great but itāll slowly grate away at you, as lack of challenge turns into lack of purpose and meaningā¦
A lot of us like to believe weāre challenging ourselves by doing lots of steps on a Stairmaster or working very long hoursā¦but these arenāt challenging, as much as theyāre boring.
A meaningful challenge (at least for me) is something that requires thinking, hustle, creativity (as well as discipline); and itās very rarely about the external reward, itās about the process.
Home-cooking a new meal every day has been a wonderful source of challenge for me - from gyoza to bolognese to apple & chilli risotto, Iāve made āem all from scratch. Results have varied but the process has always been deeply rewarding.
Starting a company with no money, learning a new language/instrument, cycling instead of Ubering etc. - all great ways to reintroduce challenge.
So, is your life too easy? And if so, how might you reintroduce challenge?
Hit reply with your answer! š
Extremely Interesting Fact š¤
Here is a duck penis:
Duck mating is brutal, with male ducks often choosing rape to propagate.
Female ducks subsequently ācounter-evolvedā labyrinthic vaginas, with many twists, turns and dead ends to prevent impregnation.
To get round thisā¦male ducks then ācounter-evolvedā these long, corkscrew penises, to navigate female ducksā vaginas (and outdo competing male ducks who often simultaneously grapple over the same female target).
Itās quite terrifying to think about but so characteristic of evolution.
Itās what drives all of society: you have a bachelors, so I get a bachelors, then you get a Masters, so I get a Masters, and then weāre back where we started but both broke af.
Branded clothing, silly cars, goofy watches, makeup, work hours - as soon as one party takes a step forward, everyone must follow to keep paceā¦and just like that, weāve walked a full mile in the wrong direction.
Ask Me For Advice š
As part of my newĀ Why Are You Working So Much? š„±Ā series, I want to knowĀ yourĀ problems with money / career / happiness etc.
What are your struggles/goals? Whatās holding you back? Any questions - let me know and Iāll answer personally.
Iād also love to hear any feedback you have for the newsletter so far - content ideas, things you like/dislike etc.
Andrew āļøā¤ļø
What happened to you, you haven't published in 6 weeks. Everything alright?