14 ms·

My Biggest Temptation

122 points by ryancarson 14y ago

petercooper 14y ago
The way I feel happy with my lot (despite wanting to achieve goals too) is to read and listen to history books. A large chunk of humankind has had to put up with heartbreaking misery and torture and learning about it makes me incredibly grateful to be living here and now, even if I'm having a bad week. Building up some empathy for my fellow man isn't a bad side effect either(!) I'm currently a third of the way into "Gulag: A History" by Anne Applebaum. Good book but very hard to bear. Millions, including innocent Soviet citizens, were tortured, massacred, or worked to death over a whole 30 years. It puts waking up with a headache and having to drive to the office into perspective I find.. :-)
- ryancarson 14y ago
  Reading history is a great idea - thanks.
- arethuza 14y ago
  "Gulag: A History" is an excellent book. On the subject of "difficult to read" books I found I couldn't finish Orlando Figes' book "The Whisperers: Private Life in Stalin's Russia" - it's an excellent book, but I literally found it too upsetting (and that's for someone who has read a lot on Soviet/Russian history).
- d0mine 14y ago
  I don't understand the word "including". Do you mean that almost all of the prisoners were not Soviet citizens or they were innocent?
  - petercooper 14y ago
    Well, quite a lot of the prisoners were not Soviet, for example, hundreds of thousands from Poland or even German Jews who fled Germany and then ended up in Russia's camps instead. I'm no historian but in this book, people from Soviet states like Lithuania seem to not be considered 'Soviet' in some sense - this term being limited mostly to Russians proper. On the 'innocence' point, I'm talking by Soviet legal standards. People were found guilty of all sorts of "crimes" at the time, but many were also never found "guilty" of anything and were merely picked up at random to meet labor requirements at the prison camps. In this book, they're split into "real criminals" (so murderers, thieves, etc), "politicals" (people who were targeted for their political affiliations), and then everyone else, including the innocents or relations of the aforementioned groups.
- nollidge 14y ago
  This is partly why I want to read "Better Angels of our Nature" by Stephen Pinker. It's about how humanity is now the least violent it's ever been, which could help to put my too-frequent bouts of pessimism in perspective.
- Dn_Ab 14y ago
  You don't even need to travel through time to witness suffering, space is good enough. For perspective rebalancing reading, just pay attention to the news and average living conditions (not to speak of those who suffer relative to their average) of any developing nation.
padolsey 14y ago
Great post. I would add the following to the list: films and books. To many these may seem like escapism but I think the insight gained from such varying perspectives gives you better insight into your own life, and I've found it can enhance your "here and now" value system. Paraphrasing Shawn Achor: you'll never reach happiness if it is always on the other side of some constantly shifting horizon.
- ryancarson 14y ago
  Great idea - thank you. I guess that's why I love film so much. I helps me make sense out of my life.
qznc 14y ago
I assume for HN readers the basic needs (food,home,friends) are covered. After that, happyness is mostly a decision. Are your goals life-changing? If you sell your current startup successfully, what would you do afterwards? Start the next one? Basically the same daily routine? Congratulations you are already happy. Maybe you didn't know that.
- ryancarson 14y ago
  I guess should've said it in the post: I'm happy now. It just took me awhile to realize it. Even though I would classify my state as 'happy' now doesn't mean that I'm not tempted to think something else would enhance that happiness though. That's the challenge.
- middus 14y ago
  It's about expectations. If set your "‘comfortable’ profitability" at 50-70% net profit margin, you are bound to be unhappy for quite some time.
  - camwest 14y ago
    Agreed. The assumption that "there is no additional cost for each new customer once we reach profitability". Is a false one. If/when you reach profitability that will prove the market to competitors who will try to fast follow and drive up the cost for acquisition. There is no such thing as a stand-still net profit. You'll always have to work for it.
- xfax 14y ago
  There's always friction between ambition and happiness. A lot of us are ambitious people, driven by the need to out-perform ourselves and build something better. It is then natural to think that you will be better off once you reach that goal compared to how you are right now. The important thing to realize is that more than the goal itself, it's the journey that we tend to enjoy. Once you realize this, having ambitions and seeing a clear path to reaching them is itself joyous.
koide 14y ago
You can also try to distance yourself from the goals. Goals do not define your life or who you are, they are only things you want to do. That way you can say, "Everything IS perfect or close to it now. By the way, I'll bump up my revenues 1000% and move to Cambodia." The really hard thing is to retain the needed passion to succeed at those goals while remaining distant enough for them not to make you believe they are life defining events, as they usually aren't, even significantly big ones.
basicallydan 14y ago
Man, I have this same problem. It's a real headache, but every now and then I have a feeling of clarity, like somehow everything is actually pretty OK as it is. I don't make lists though - usually it's something I'm told by somebody else, like one of my sisters or my mother. Somebody who knows me and my life well. That usually does the trick. But I can't independently convince myself of my own personal happiness at the drop of a hat when that demon of looking forward to the brighter future rears it's ugly head - I hope I can figure it out like you have!
kamaal 14y ago
Reading this made me recall and reflect on a lot of things in life. I am 27 now, but when I was 21 I used to think that I can be happy no matter what the situations in life. Soon I had to come to face with the reality. You need money to solve your own and the worlds problems. Just like the author I come to always to the point “Everything will be perfect when ….”. And you will never be free, because first you will want a college degree, then its a home, then its a car, then clothes, and then in comparison with whatever everybody else has. And then as you have a family it just goes on and on... So it happened that I went with relative of mine to check out a luxury flat he was about to buy here in Bangalore. As I was checking out the flat with him, he asked me if I would buy if I had the money. And then he asked me to reply with an honest opinion. I paused for a moment and replied... That I would like to buy it now, but I would like to buy it now just because you are buying it. And I'm comparing myself with you, but If I were you and in your shoes then probably I would like to buy what somebody else in your peer group might be buying it. And that might mean a super luxury flat. I realized a simple fact. We are never free. We are always a slave to the question that the author asks “Everything will be perfect when ….” We will never be happy because we need money to solve our problems and buy all we want to buy, no amount of it is ever sufficient. And the answer to that is not 'stop having expectations'.
- ryancarson 14y ago
  I don't think the answer is to "stop having expectations". The key is realizing you need very little to be truly happy.
  - kamaal 14y ago
    >>The key is realizing you need very little to be truly happy. Although I agree with you in principle. But so as long as we have feelings, comparison and desires to match someone else is inevitable. I've tried a lot, but I keep ending up with... Why can't I have a car like him. Why can't I have a home like his. Why can't go on a costly vacation like him. ... Why can't I have <insert anything> like him. And that never goes away...
    - 14y ago
akg 14y ago
I think goals are a way to drive yourself to do something productive/stimulating so that you don't get bored. However, the accomplishment of goals and fulfilling your every desire, albeit important, is not what makes a person happy. I think happiness comes from something much more abstract. It is a visceral reaction to your life and everything in it. I truly believe that in the end, the thing that makes you happy in life is when you live uncompromisingly, upholding the beliefs/principles/truths/etc. that resonate deep within your heart; whatever they may be.
- ryancarson 14y ago
  Good way to sum it up
chriszabaleta 14y ago
If you like who you are you will be happy.
funkyboy 14y ago
I prefer joy to happiness. Joy is more an attitude, whereas happiness seems to come from something "external", like I have bought a new car, that VIP said hi to me, etc.
edw519 14y ago
Reminds me of this true story of 2 women: Esther1 was the born to a very poor family. Her parents were killed in an accident when she was 8 so she had to drop out of school and raise her 3 younger brothers. She worked hard and never had anything material for her entire life. She was an old lady when I was a child. Some of the things I clearly remember her saying: "I love every one of you." "I can't wait to see you again." "We had a wonderful time!" "Don't worry. It'll be fine." "If you look for trouble, you'll probably find it. So don't look so much." "I thank God every night of my life." Esther2 came from almost identical circumstances. She was even born and died the same week as Esther1. Some of the things I remember her saying: "Joe is so lucky. I could never get that lucky." "You can't beat city hall, so why bother." "Things would be different if we lived in a different neighborhood." "They all inherited a lot but we inherited nothing." "Life's not fair, sonny." "If only I had more money." Esther1 was my grandmother. Esther2 was her neighbor. Whenever I have OP's temptation to worry about my own happiness, I just look at the 4 letters on the wall above my desk, "WWGT" (What would Grandma think?) That "fixes" me every time.
- Peroni 14y ago
  Hindsight is an amazingly powerful thing and that's exactly why you should just listen to those with more experience than you, be that life experience, development experience, start-up experience, whatever. We may not have the gift of hindsight to apply to our current situation but they generally do. The reason people impart advice is because they feel that it's info they wish they had been given at the time. Listen to that advice objectively and learn from it.
- brandall10 14y ago
  My folks are both Esther2s, and consequently I was until about 30. Then I started getting into various self-help things, aligning myself with others of like mind, etc... basically just doing whatever it took to cultivate PMA (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Positive_mental_attitude http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Positive_mental_attitude) and ridding my emotional lexicon of victim mentality. I can't remember what the name for it (or even if there is a name for it), but one of the best tricks I've learned is to self identify any negative thoughts as they stream in... when they come, just acknowledge they exist, don't beat yourself up over it; but take a step back, imagine yourself in the 3rd person seeing you get wound up over it, laugh it off and relax if you can. If you can't that's okay, it's just like attaining any positive habit or trying to quit any negative one. Persistence and time will make things come around, as long as you want it and continue deliberately practicing to achieve it. It was a process that took a couple years to sink in but surely will be ongoing until the day I die - the funny thing is, for years now, only my folks have been able to get a physical rise out of me (and perhaps rush hour traffic, haha). It's like some weird Pavlov's response. And of course there are times when a situation is just a little too tough, scary, or stressful, and I catch myself falling back on old patterns. In other words, when you find your comfort zones stretched, you also have to keep in mind that your mind will try to deceive you to keep you out of harm's way.
wsc981 14y ago
I've come to realize I'd be more happy whenever I have more freedom. Freedom is quite abstract, but for me it envelopes economic freedom and freedom to make my own decisions in work. I enjoy my work as a software developer, but I hate the processes around it in a lot of company settings. I feel a company like Valve gives it's employees a lot of freedom and I wish more companies would treat their employees the same way. For the aforementioned reasons I'll be starting a company with a friend in June / July of this year. This friend of mine will work on acquiring the leads (he's proven in the last few years he can get work for me) while my main focus will be on developing the solutions for the clients and guiding our clients through the realization process. With this company we will aim for the following goals: - earn much more money, I expect I can make around 2000 to 3000 EUR more a month in this setting, though I have to spend some of this money on benefit my employer would normally pay for (holidays, retirement, etc...). - use my own work processes (I'm not very fond of SCRUM for example - at least not in the way it's executed at my current employer). - take a leadership / guiding role in some projects, especially since we expect we'll be able to outsource some work within a year or so. We've already worked with an Android developer from eastern Europe recently and this worked out well for us. We can imagine making use of more eastern European mobile developers if we don't have the time ourselves for the projects. - be more flexible with my working hours. My currently employer wants me in the office from 09:00 - 17:00, while I prefer to work from say 09:00 - 13:00, followed by some relaxation / sports and work again between 18:00 and 00:00. The money will help me gain more economic freedom once I've payed off my mortgage and student loan dept. I don't necessarily need to live in a giant house, but I would like to have a second home in a southern-European country from where I can work in the winter seasons - this is a long term goal I'll strive for. I believe that by constantly visualizing my goals I will get closer to achieving them. I promised myself I will realize the above goals before I reach the age of 40 (currently I'm 30 years old).
bceagle 14y ago
All of this is totally true and yet many people still struggle with the same problem. In other words, even though people know that they should enjoy what they have, they can't help but think about what they don't have. For me, sometimes I find myself thinking: "I am going to enjoy what I have and not worry so much about the future...as soon as I get x, y or z".
DanielBMarkham 14y ago
There's always a conflict between goal-directed, sacrifice-oriented work patterns and life-directed, interpersonal-directed work patterns. If you're goal-directed, you're looking at that 100MM in sales. If you're life-directed, you're counting the days until the baby takes its first steps. I'm unhappy with everything I've read along these lines, and I've read a lot of it on HN and elsewhere. I'm also unhappy with my own balance many times. The problem is that both extremes are not lives I would want to have. I do not want to be a Buddhist, sitting around in loose-fitting clothing feeling perfect happiness. I also do not want to be a driven type-A sort that is counting pennies the last day of his life. My best guess so far is to start out enjoying the struggle -- go freaking do something with yourself and the world. As you begin to gain traction, back off and actually have a life. The trick, of course, is learning when and how to back off, so I probably haven't added much to the discussion. :) One thing I know for sure is I agree with this thesis: happiness cannot be just around the corner. It must be whatever you are doing right now.
erikb 14y ago
I read once (can't find the link now) that the feeling of anticipation is stronger then the feeling of happiness, which makes sense to me, because in nature only the adapting species will survive long enough. So having something to strive for might be quite important, maybe even more then feeling happy. And I don't just mean life threatening situations, I mean that we might actually want to "pursue happiness", not "have happiness". Ever thought about that?
JonnieCache 14y ago
Life is what happens to you while you're busy making other plans. - John Lennon
kirse 14y ago
I need to clarify: I feel 100% happy now. I've got to say, I still don't understand the obsession these days with "happiness". Who sits around reflecting on (and measuring) their happiness, as if it's some numerical, achievable end-goal? Not only that, the most important thing in life is not what you can do, but who you daily choose to be - your character and integrity. Money and things will fade, but character never dies. Happiness is nice if it comes as a byproduct of life, but if happiness is really the pinnacle of that which we are striving for -- if it's really our greatest purpose in life -- we have a foundation softer than sand, constantly shifting with every direction the wind blows. Martin Luther King hints at his purpose in his "I Have Been to the Mountaintop" speech, noting that he's willing to sacrifice a long life for his purpose: Like anybody, I would like to live a long life. Longevity has its place. But I'm not concerned about that now. I just want to do God's will. And He's allowed me to go up to the mountain. And I've looked over. And I've seen the Promised Land. I may not get there with you. But I want you to know tonight, that we, as a people, will get to the promised land! It also surprises me that as someone who was a "devoted Christian for 25 years" who would at least have some Biblical knowledge, Ryan doesn't at least acknowledge the inherent spiritual incompleteness of placing his hope in worldly and material things - number six on his list being the exception. (Ecclesiastes, Ryan? Or Job 1:21? Or Phil 4:12?)
- ebiester 14y ago
  "I've got to say, I still don't understand the obsession these days with "happiness". Who sits around reflecting (and measuring) their happiness, as if it's some numerical, achievable end-goal?" American society has created a thought that if you're successful, wealthy, or influential, that is what brings happiness. Thus, some deprogramming (IE, it isn't your circumstances but rather your attitude your circumstances that makes you happy) is often necessary. And this happens within the church too, as much as it's preached against. (I say this as an Ex-Christian apostate with experiences in multiple churches.) And according to Shawn Achor's research (I'm listening to his audiobook now) happiness is correlated with higher performance. For that reason alone, it's worth looking for ways to raise our base happiness level. "It also surprises me that as a "devoted Christian for 25 years" who would at least have some Biblical knowledge, Ryan doesn't at least acknowledge the inherent spiritual incompleteness of placing his hope in worldly and material things. (Ecclesiastes, Ryan? Or Job 1:21? Or Phil 4:12?)" I read that as he's Ex-Christian, not currently Christian, so such advice would not be considered any more valid than the Tao Te Ching.
rmATinnovafy 14y ago
I used to blame and complain. Every one of my failures was due to something different. My name, my lack of capital, my poor confidence, where I lived, my nationality, my parents, my car, even my big ears. Then one of my brothers died. As painful as it is to write this, his death and only his death was the only thing that would open my eyes. Life is way short to even complain. To pay attention to petty details. To yell at the waiter because the soup is cold, or my steak is not cooked. To give up when my code won't compile, even though I may not have the slightest clue why. Its only been three years. My adventures as a re-born man have only just begun. The future, though a bit fuzzy, looks promising. I'm not sure if any of my ideas will take off, but I'm sure I'll enjoy each hustling for each and every one of them. I've already made a good bunch of friends through this community. People so incredible that it blows my mind. People I actually look up to. And even though browsing HN reminds me how limited my talents may be, it also pushes me to realize that limits are just rules. And rules are meant to be challenged. I'm still not an optimist. Because we are all still going to die and be forgotten. What I am is a bit more practical. I call it an active life enjoyer (made up word). My main goal is not to be rich (though it would be nice to have a new car, and live in a better place), nor to be famous (but having friends is cool). I don't even want to become the next big tech superstar. I just want my adventure to go as long as possible. And to enjoy every second of it. So far, so good. To be totally honest, I founded my startup due to such attitude. What's the worse that could happen? I'm already not rich, not famous. Money comes and goes. But life. Life just goes. I'd rather live it in a way that when the time comes for me to depart, I can take my last breath and say: "Would do it again."
- ryancarson 14y ago
  Thank you for sharing. Powerful story. Really appreciate it.
  - rmATinnovafy 14y ago
    You're welcome. Thank you for the nice words.
- deepandmeaning 14y ago
  Wow. Thank you for sharing. Quite inspirational. Have you written more about this [albeit very personal] subject in a blog or elsewhere? Would love to read more... All the best.
rowlandrose 14y ago
I've found that by achieving some of my life goals, I haven't reached a point where I find myself content and without any more goals, but I do notice a huge improve in my average happiness compared to years ago. I find myself content instead with the fact that I'll always have awesome new goals.
xfax 14y ago
Off-topic, but this really stuck out for me: I’d set this bar at 50-70% net profit margin. We can aim high because there is no additional cost for each new customer once we reach profitability. That's a common misconception. You are indeed spending money on getting each additional customer, you are just not accounting for it correctly. It's easy to consider all marketing/advertising/sales/customer service expenses as fixed costs, when indeed these costs go up with each additional customer you on-board. Also, even if you reach the 50-70% profit margins, how sustainable would that be? The simple law of efficient markets dictates that you will have competitors who will be willing to undercut you. There is no relatively stable company out there that is able to make such margins unless they have constructed entry barriers around themselves (patents, laws etc.).
yashchandra 14y ago
Very well written. I have a similar feeling. We strive for happiness in future but sometimes tend to overlook our current life and how happy things are.It just depends on how you look at it. Lately, I have been wondering what is missing in my life even though I have a great wife, great family, great friends, healthy life (so far:)). I guess it is just a startup itch that I am looking to scratch. Other than that, I feel pretty good.
ForrestN 14y ago
I must say I feel a bit bad for the writer, especially after the update. He reads, to me, as feeling a lot of pressure to self-identify as happy. As if a truly brilliant entrepreneur, a real success, couldn't struggle with, for example, anxiety. He writes a post about experiencing anxiety despite his obvious success so far, about "constantly fighting" his temptation to feel bad about where he is, about his drive to dissociate from his current live in favor of an imagined "perfect" future life that's constantly changing. He's sharing a set of feelings I think a lot of people, especially ambitious people, can relate to. But then he feels the need to say he's "100% happy." What does that even mean? Why does he (probably correctly) think that his social context demands that he be unnaturally happy, and that sharing inner struggles will be problematic for him as a public figure? I wish he was OK admitting that sometimes he's not happy. That inexplicably (and yet predictably), meeting one's goals often doesn't actually help you feel any better.
freshhawk 14y ago
To the commenters: Any time these off topic subjects come up they spawn some interesting discussions and comments. With no facts, whatsoever. For fucks sake, reddit has more research citations than HN does in a discussion like this. Thanks for contributing to the stereotype that technologists are the worst group when it comes to thinking that success in one field gives license to ignorantly spout opinions as fact in other fields. References to the bible and self help books, no references to any actual psychology of happiness research. I've got some all natural homeopathic depression/disappointment/malaise remedies to sell. I think I just found my target demo.
- jarek 14y ago
  > I think I just found my target demo. Startup idea! /s
drumdance 14y ago
I define happiness in the very short term, kind of like Steve Jobs: do I want to get out of bed this morning and do the work on my plate? Sometimes the answer is no, but most days it's yes. As long as I average more yeses than noes, I don't think about it much. It's when the noes pile up for more than a month that I think about making a change.
suhastech 14y ago
I think ryancarson.com is down or incorrectly configured. In case, you want to read it. http://webcache.googleusercontent.com/search?q=cache%3Aryanleecarson.tumblr.com%2Fpost%2F23284176896%2Ftemptation http://webcache.googleusercontent.com/search?q=cache%3Aryanl...
audiodude 14y ago
Can anyone comment on what happened to this link?
tnash 14y ago
I really loved the line "It’s like I’m waiting for the movie of my life to begin instead of realizing that I’m already living it." I feel like that a lot. I have to remind myself to focus on now.

122 points by ryancarson 14y ago

The way I feel happy with my lot (despite wanting to achieve goals too) is to read and listen to history books. A large chunk of humankind has had to put up with heartbreaking misery and torture and learning about it makes me incredibly grateful to be living here and now, even if I'm having a bad week. Building up some empathy for my fellow man isn't a bad side effect either(!) I'm currently a third of the way into "Gulag: A History" by Anne Applebaum. Good book but very hard to bear. Millions, including innocent Soviet citizens, were tortured, massacred, or worked to death over a whole 30 years. It puts waking up with a headache and having to drive to the office into perspective I find.. :-)

ryancarson 14y ago
Reading history is a great idea - thanks.
arethuza 14y ago
"Gulag: A History" is an excellent book. On the subject of "difficult to read" books I found I couldn't finish Orlando Figes' book "The Whisperers: Private Life in Stalin's Russia" - it's an excellent book, but I literally found it too upsetting (and that's for someone who has read a lot on Soviet/Russian history).
d0mine 14y ago
I don't understand the word "including". Do you mean that almost all of the prisoners were not Soviet citizens or they were innocent?
- petercooper 14y ago
  Well, quite a lot of the prisoners were not Soviet, for example, hundreds of thousands from Poland or even German Jews who fled Germany and then ended up in Russia's camps instead. I'm no historian but in this book, people from Soviet states like Lithuania seem to not be considered 'Soviet' in some sense - this term being limited mostly to Russians proper. On the 'innocence' point, I'm talking by Soviet legal standards. People were found guilty of all sorts of "crimes" at the time, but many were also never found "guilty" of anything and were merely picked up at random to meet labor requirements at the prison camps. In this book, they're split into "real criminals" (so murderers, thieves, etc), "politicals" (people who were targeted for their political affiliations), and then everyone else, including the innocents or relations of the aforementioned groups.
nollidge 14y ago
This is partly why I want to read "Better Angels of our Nature" by Stephen Pinker. It's about how humanity is now the least violent it's ever been, which could help to put my too-frequent bouts of pessimism in perspective.
Dn_Ab 14y ago
You don't even need to travel through time to witness suffering, space is good enough. For perspective rebalancing reading, just pay attention to the news and average living conditions (not to speak of those who suffer relative to their average) of any developing nation.

padolsey 14y ago

Great post. I would add the following to the list: films and books. To many these may seem like escapism but I think the insight gained from such varying perspectives gives you better insight into your own life, and I've found it can enhance your "here and now" value system. Paraphrasing Shawn Achor: you'll never reach happiness if it is always on the other side of some constantly shifting horizon.

ryancarson 14y ago
Great idea - thank you. I guess that's why I love film so much. I helps me make sense out of my life.

qznc 14y ago

I assume for HN readers the basic needs (food,home,friends) are covered. After that, happyness is mostly a decision. Are your goals life-changing? If you sell your current startup successfully, what would you do afterwards? Start the next one? Basically the same daily routine? Congratulations you are already happy. Maybe you didn't know that.

ryancarson 14y ago
I guess should've said it in the post: I'm happy now. It just took me awhile to realize it. Even though I would classify my state as 'happy' now doesn't mean that I'm not tempted to think something else would enhance that happiness though. That's the challenge.
middus 14y ago
It's about expectations. If set your "‘comfortable’ profitability" at 50-70% net profit margin, you are bound to be unhappy for quite some time.
- camwest 14y ago
  Agreed. The assumption that "there is no additional cost for each new customer once we reach profitability". Is a false one. If/when you reach profitability that will prove the market to competitors who will try to fast follow and drive up the cost for acquisition. There is no such thing as a stand-still net profit. You'll always have to work for it.
xfax 14y ago
There's always friction between ambition and happiness. A lot of us are ambitious people, driven by the need to out-perform ourselves and build something better. It is then natural to think that you will be better off once you reach that goal compared to how you are right now. The important thing to realize is that more than the goal itself, it's the journey that we tend to enjoy. Once you realize this, having ambitions and seeing a clear path to reaching them is itself joyous.

koide 14y ago

You can also try to distance yourself from the goals. Goals do not define your life or who you are, they are only things you want to do. That way you can say, "Everything IS perfect or close to it now. By the way, I'll bump up my revenues 1000% and move to Cambodia." The really hard thing is to retain the needed passion to succeed at those goals while remaining distant enough for them not to make you believe they are life defining events, as they usually aren't, even significantly big ones.

basicallydan 14y ago

Man, I have this same problem. It's a real headache, but every now and then I have a feeling of clarity, like somehow everything is actually pretty OK as it is. I don't make lists though - usually it's something I'm told by somebody else, like one of my sisters or my mother. Somebody who knows me and my life well. That usually does the trick. But I can't independently convince myself of my own personal happiness at the drop of a hat when that demon of looking forward to the brighter future rears it's ugly head - I hope I can figure it out like you have!

kamaal 14y ago

Reading this made me recall and reflect on a lot of things in life. I am 27 now, but when I was 21 I used to think that I can be happy no matter what the situations in life. Soon I had to come to face with the reality. You need money to solve your own and the worlds problems. Just like the author I come to always to the point “Everything will be perfect when ….”. And you will never be free, because first you will want a college degree, then its a home, then its a car, then clothes, and then in comparison with whatever everybody else has. And then as you have a family it just goes on and on... So it happened that I went with relative of mine to check out a luxury flat he was about to buy here in Bangalore. As I was checking out the flat with him, he asked me if I would buy if I had the money. And then he asked me to reply with an honest opinion. I paused for a moment and replied... That I would like to buy it now, but I would like to buy it now just because you are buying it. And I'm comparing myself with you, but If I were you and in your shoes then probably I would like to buy what somebody else in your peer group might be buying it. And that might mean a super luxury flat. I realized a simple fact. We are never free. We are always a slave to the question that the author asks “Everything will be perfect when ….” We will never be happy because we need money to solve our problems and buy all we want to buy, no amount of it is ever sufficient. And the answer to that is not 'stop having expectations'.

ryancarson 14y ago
I don't think the answer is to "stop having expectations". The key is realizing you need very little to be truly happy.
- kamaal 14y ago
  >>The key is realizing you need very little to be truly happy. Although I agree with you in principle. But so as long as we have feelings, comparison and desires to match someone else is inevitable. I've tried a lot, but I keep ending up with... Why can't I have a car like him. Why can't I have a home like his. Why can't go on a costly vacation like him. ... Why can't I have <insert anything> like him. And that never goes away...
  - 14y ago

akg 14y ago

I think goals are a way to drive yourself to do something productive/stimulating so that you don't get bored. However, the accomplishment of goals and fulfilling your every desire, albeit important, is not what makes a person happy. I think happiness comes from something much more abstract. It is a visceral reaction to your life and everything in it. I truly believe that in the end, the thing that makes you happy in life is when you live uncompromisingly, upholding the beliefs/principles/truths/etc. that resonate deep within your heart; whatever they may be.

ryancarson 14y ago
Good way to sum it up

chriszabaleta 14y ago

If you like who you are you will be happy.

funkyboy 14y ago

I prefer joy to happiness. Joy is more an attitude, whereas happiness seems to come from something "external", like I have bought a new car, that VIP said hi to me, etc.

edw519 14y ago

Reminds me of this true story of 2 women: Esther1 was the born to a very poor family. Her parents were killed in an accident when she was 8 so she had to drop out of school and raise her 3 younger brothers. She worked hard and never had anything material for her entire life. She was an old lady when I was a child. Some of the things I clearly remember her saying: "I love every one of you." "I can't wait to see you again." "We had a wonderful time!" "Don't worry. It'll be fine." "If you look for trouble, you'll probably find it. So don't look so much." "I thank God every night of my life." Esther2 came from almost identical circumstances. She was even born and died the same week as Esther1. Some of the things I remember her saying: "Joe is so lucky. I could never get that lucky." "You can't beat city hall, so why bother." "Things would be different if we lived in a different neighborhood." "They all inherited a lot but we inherited nothing." "Life's not fair, sonny." "If only I had more money." Esther1 was my grandmother. Esther2 was her neighbor. Whenever I have OP's temptation to worry about my own happiness, I just look at the 4 letters on the wall above my desk, "WWGT" (What would Grandma think?) That "fixes" me every time.

Peroni 14y ago
Hindsight is an amazingly powerful thing and that's exactly why you should just listen to those with more experience than you, be that life experience, development experience, start-up experience, whatever. We may not have the gift of hindsight to apply to our current situation but they generally do. The reason people impart advice is because they feel that it's info they wish they had been given at the time. Listen to that advice objectively and learn from it.
brandall10 14y ago
My folks are both Esther2s, and consequently I was until about 30. Then I started getting into various self-help things, aligning myself with others of like mind, etc... basically just doing whatever it took to cultivate PMA (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Positive_mental_attitude http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Positive_mental_attitude) and ridding my emotional lexicon of victim mentality. I can't remember what the name for it (or even if there is a name for it), but one of the best tricks I've learned is to self identify any negative thoughts as they stream in... when they come, just acknowledge they exist, don't beat yourself up over it; but take a step back, imagine yourself in the 3rd person seeing you get wound up over it, laugh it off and relax if you can. If you can't that's okay, it's just like attaining any positive habit or trying to quit any negative one. Persistence and time will make things come around, as long as you want it and continue deliberately practicing to achieve it. It was a process that took a couple years to sink in but surely will be ongoing until the day I die - the funny thing is, for years now, only my folks have been able to get a physical rise out of me (and perhaps rush hour traffic, haha). It's like some weird Pavlov's response. And of course there are times when a situation is just a little too tough, scary, or stressful, and I catch myself falling back on old patterns. In other words, when you find your comfort zones stretched, you also have to keep in mind that your mind will try to deceive you to keep you out of harm's way.

wsc981 14y ago

I've come to realize I'd be more happy whenever I have more freedom. Freedom is quite abstract, but for me it envelopes economic freedom and freedom to make my own decisions in work. I enjoy my work as a software developer, but I hate the processes around it in a lot of company settings. I feel a company like Valve gives it's employees a lot of freedom and I wish more companies would treat their employees the same way. For the aforementioned reasons I'll be starting a company with a friend in June / July of this year. This friend of mine will work on acquiring the leads (he's proven in the last few years he can get work for me) while my main focus will be on developing the solutions for the clients and guiding our clients through the realization process. With this company we will aim for the following goals: - earn much more money, I expect I can make around 2000 to 3000 EUR more a month in this setting, though I have to spend some of this money on benefit my employer would normally pay for (holidays, retirement, etc...). - use my own work processes (I'm not very fond of SCRUM for example - at least not in the way it's executed at my current employer). - take a leadership / guiding role in some projects, especially since we expect we'll be able to outsource some work within a year or so. We've already worked with an Android developer from eastern Europe recently and this worked out well for us. We can imagine making use of more eastern European mobile developers if we don't have the time ourselves for the projects. - be more flexible with my working hours. My currently employer wants me in the office from 09:00 - 17:00, while I prefer to work from say 09:00 - 13:00, followed by some relaxation / sports and work again between 18:00 and 00:00. The money will help me gain more economic freedom once I've payed off my mortgage and student loan dept. I don't necessarily need to live in a giant house, but I would like to have a second home in a southern-European country from where I can work in the winter seasons - this is a long term goal I'll strive for. I believe that by constantly visualizing my goals I will get closer to achieving them. I promised myself I will realize the above goals before I reach the age of 40 (currently I'm 30 years old).

bceagle 14y ago

All of this is totally true and yet many people still struggle with the same problem. In other words, even though people know that they should enjoy what they have, they can't help but think about what they don't have. For me, sometimes I find myself thinking: "I am going to enjoy what I have and not worry so much about the future...as soon as I get x, y or z".

DanielBMarkham 14y ago

There's always a conflict between goal-directed, sacrifice-oriented work patterns and life-directed, interpersonal-directed work patterns. If you're goal-directed, you're looking at that 100MM in sales. If you're life-directed, you're counting the days until the baby takes its first steps. I'm unhappy with everything I've read along these lines, and I've read a lot of it on HN and elsewhere. I'm also unhappy with my own balance many times. The problem is that both extremes are not lives I would want to have. I do not want to be a Buddhist, sitting around in loose-fitting clothing feeling perfect happiness. I also do not want to be a driven type-A sort that is counting pennies the last day of his life. My best guess so far is to start out enjoying the struggle -- go freaking do something with yourself and the world. As you begin to gain traction, back off and actually have a life. The trick, of course, is learning when and how to back off, so I probably haven't added much to the discussion. :) One thing I know for sure is I agree with this thesis: happiness cannot be just around the corner. It must be whatever you are doing right now.

erikb 14y ago

I read once (can't find the link now) that the feeling of anticipation is stronger then the feeling of happiness, which makes sense to me, because in nature only the adapting species will survive long enough. So having something to strive for might be quite important, maybe even more then feeling happy. And I don't just mean life threatening situations, I mean that we might actually want to "pursue happiness", not "have happiness". Ever thought about that?

JonnieCache 14y ago

Life is what happens to you while you're busy making other plans. - John Lennon

kirse 14y ago

I need to clarify: I feel 100% happy now. I've got to say, I still don't understand the obsession these days with "happiness". Who sits around reflecting on (and measuring) their happiness, as if it's some numerical, achievable end-goal? Not only that, the most important thing in life is not what you can do, but who you daily choose to be - your character and integrity. Money and things will fade, but character never dies. Happiness is nice if it comes as a byproduct of life, but if happiness is really the pinnacle of that which we are striving for -- if it's really our greatest purpose in life -- we have a foundation softer than sand, constantly shifting with every direction the wind blows. Martin Luther King hints at his purpose in his "I Have Been to the Mountaintop" speech, noting that he's willing to sacrifice a long life for his purpose: Like anybody, I would like to live a long life. Longevity has its place. But I'm not concerned about that now. I just want to do God's will. And He's allowed me to go up to the mountain. And I've looked over. And I've seen the Promised Land. I may not get there with you. But I want you to know tonight, that we, as a people, will get to the promised land! It also surprises me that as someone who was a "devoted Christian for 25 years" who would at least have some Biblical knowledge, Ryan doesn't at least acknowledge the inherent spiritual incompleteness of placing his hope in worldly and material things - number six on his list being the exception. (Ecclesiastes, Ryan? Or Job 1:21? Or Phil 4:12?)

ebiester 14y ago
"I've got to say, I still don't understand the obsession these days with "happiness". Who sits around reflecting (and measuring) their happiness, as if it's some numerical, achievable end-goal?" American society has created a thought that if you're successful, wealthy, or influential, that is what brings happiness. Thus, some deprogramming (IE, it isn't your circumstances but rather your attitude your circumstances that makes you happy) is often necessary. And this happens within the church too, as much as it's preached against. (I say this as an Ex-Christian apostate with experiences in multiple churches.) And according to Shawn Achor's research (I'm listening to his audiobook now) happiness is correlated with higher performance. For that reason alone, it's worth looking for ways to raise our base happiness level. "It also surprises me that as a "devoted Christian for 25 years" who would at least have some Biblical knowledge, Ryan doesn't at least acknowledge the inherent spiritual incompleteness of placing his hope in worldly and material things. (Ecclesiastes, Ryan? Or Job 1:21? Or Phil 4:12?)" I read that as he's Ex-Christian, not currently Christian, so such advice would not be considered any more valid than the Tao Te Ching.

rmATinnovafy 14y ago

I used to blame and complain. Every one of my failures was due to something different. My name, my lack of capital, my poor confidence, where I lived, my nationality, my parents, my car, even my big ears. Then one of my brothers died. As painful as it is to write this, his death and only his death was the only thing that would open my eyes. Life is way short to even complain. To pay attention to petty details. To yell at the waiter because the soup is cold, or my steak is not cooked. To give up when my code won't compile, even though I may not have the slightest clue why. Its only been three years. My adventures as a re-born man have only just begun. The future, though a bit fuzzy, looks promising. I'm not sure if any of my ideas will take off, but I'm sure I'll enjoy each hustling for each and every one of them. I've already made a good bunch of friends through this community. People so incredible that it blows my mind. People I actually look up to. And even though browsing HN reminds me how limited my talents may be, it also pushes me to realize that limits are just rules. And rules are meant to be challenged. I'm still not an optimist. Because we are all still going to die and be forgotten. What I am is a bit more practical. I call it an active life enjoyer (made up word). My main goal is not to be rich (though it would be nice to have a new car, and live in a better place), nor to be famous (but having friends is cool). I don't even want to become the next big tech superstar. I just want my adventure to go as long as possible. And to enjoy every second of it. So far, so good. To be totally honest, I founded my startup due to such attitude. What's the worse that could happen? I'm already not rich, not famous. Money comes and goes. But life. Life just goes. I'd rather live it in a way that when the time comes for me to depart, I can take my last breath and say: "Would do it again."

ryancarson 14y ago
Thank you for sharing. Powerful story. Really appreciate it.
- rmATinnovafy 14y ago
  You're welcome. Thank you for the nice words.
deepandmeaning 14y ago
Wow. Thank you for sharing. Quite inspirational. Have you written more about this [albeit very personal] subject in a blog or elsewhere? Would love to read more... All the best.

rowlandrose 14y ago

I've found that by achieving some of my life goals, I haven't reached a point where I find myself content and without any more goals, but I do notice a huge improve in my average happiness compared to years ago. I find myself content instead with the fact that I'll always have awesome new goals.

xfax 14y ago

Off-topic, but this really stuck out for me: I’d set this bar at 50-70% net profit margin. We can aim high because there is no additional cost for each new customer once we reach profitability. That's a common misconception. You are indeed spending money on getting each additional customer, you are just not accounting for it correctly. It's easy to consider all marketing/advertising/sales/customer service expenses as fixed costs, when indeed these costs go up with each additional customer you on-board. Also, even if you reach the 50-70% profit margins, how sustainable would that be? The simple law of efficient markets dictates that you will have competitors who will be willing to undercut you. There is no relatively stable company out there that is able to make such margins unless they have constructed entry barriers around themselves (patents, laws etc.).

yashchandra 14y ago

Very well written. I have a similar feeling. We strive for happiness in future but sometimes tend to overlook our current life and how happy things are.It just depends on how you look at it. Lately, I have been wondering what is missing in my life even though I have a great wife, great family, great friends, healthy life (so far:)). I guess it is just a startup itch that I am looking to scratch. Other than that, I feel pretty good.

ForrestN 14y ago

I must say I feel a bit bad for the writer, especially after the update. He reads, to me, as feeling a lot of pressure to self-identify as happy. As if a truly brilliant entrepreneur, a real success, couldn't struggle with, for example, anxiety. He writes a post about experiencing anxiety despite his obvious success so far, about "constantly fighting" his temptation to feel bad about where he is, about his drive to dissociate from his current live in favor of an imagined "perfect" future life that's constantly changing. He's sharing a set of feelings I think a lot of people, especially ambitious people, can relate to. But then he feels the need to say he's "100% happy." What does that even mean? Why does he (probably correctly) think that his social context demands that he be unnaturally happy, and that sharing inner struggles will be problematic for him as a public figure? I wish he was OK admitting that sometimes he's not happy. That inexplicably (and yet predictably), meeting one's goals often doesn't actually help you feel any better.

freshhawk 14y ago

To the commenters: Any time these off topic subjects come up they spawn some interesting discussions and comments. With no facts, whatsoever. For fucks sake, reddit has more research citations than HN does in a discussion like this. Thanks for contributing to the stereotype that technologists are the worst group when it comes to thinking that success in one field gives license to ignorantly spout opinions as fact in other fields. References to the bible and self help books, no references to any actual psychology of happiness research. I've got some all natural homeopathic depression/disappointment/malaise remedies to sell. I think I just found my target demo.

jarek 14y ago
> I think I just found my target demo. Startup idea! /s

drumdance 14y ago

I define happiness in the very short term, kind of like Steve Jobs: do I want to get out of bed this morning and do the work on my plate? Sometimes the answer is no, but most days it's yes. As long as I average more yeses than noes, I don't think about it much. It's when the noes pile up for more than a month that I think about making a change.

suhastech 14y ago

I think ryancarson.com is down or incorrectly configured. In case, you want to read it. http://webcache.googleusercontent.com/search?q=cache%3Aryanleecarson.tumblr.com%2Fpost%2F23284176896%2Ftemptation http://webcache.googleusercontent.com/search?q=cache%3Aryanl...

audiodude 14y ago

Can anyone comment on what happened to this link?

tnash 14y ago

I really loved the line "It’s like I’m waiting for the movie of my life to begin instead of realizing that I’m already living it." I feel like that a lot. I have to remind myself to focus on now.