THE PURSUIT OF HAPPINESS: enduro vlog #98

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• published: 09 May 2016
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Another enduro vlog from the gumbies at http://www.crosstrainingenduro.com Happiness. I love that quote, you never see motorbikes in the psychiatrist's car park. Riding might not be the key to happiness, but it certainly helps. Unlike money... we've all heard the saying 'money can't buy happiness' but the problem is we live in our world that is constantly telling us we won't be happy till we've got the biggest house, the best car, the coolest clothes... But happiness is a dirt bike to me! Happiness is a by-product, not a goal - Eleanor Roosevelt If you want to be happy, be - Leo Tolstoy Happiness depends upon ourselves - Aristotle Happiness never decreases by being shared - Buddha It is more fitting for a man to laugh at life than to lament over it - Seneca Happiness is having a large, loving, caring, close-knit family in another city - George Burns If you are too busy to laugh, you are too busy - Proverb Playlist for our enduro vlogs: https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLlur54ugvzNJlUO0y6D10jVOGMLI4Raci Cross Training Enduro Skills Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/cross.training.enduro.skills/ Cross Training Enduro Skills Youtube channel: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCJAvmhgP0h1AEKY8vTEJPJg Can money buy happiness? Research shows that if you are poor, then money can buy happiness. But once you have enough to meet the basics of life - health care, a roof over your head, food and clothes - extra money makes little difference to your happiness. What if you win millions of dollars in the lottery? Nup. Research shows that big winners have an initial increase in happiness, but within a year their happiness levels are back to normal again. And get this - they've done the same studies on paralysis victims. At first they are depressed, but within a year their happiness levels are back to normal even when they will never walk again. Why? Our life circumstances and situation usually have little effect on happiness. In fact research shows that things like winning the lottery, or losing your ability to walk, will only have a 10% effect on long-term happiness. Half the story is in our genes, which is why a depressed person who wins the lottery will just be a rich depressed person. The really interesting thing is that our personal choices will make up 40% of our happiness. Do you choose to see the world as a miserable place that keeps fucking you over, or do you just make the most of life and choose to see the positive side? There are exceptions of course, such as a serious case of clinical depression which needs treatment, not just a positive frame of mind. But we are largely responsible for our own happiness. So if money doesn't make us happy, what will? Relationships are probably the most important thing. Love the one you are with. Spend time with your kids. Make time to be with your friends and extended family. This leads into not be a self-centred dickhead. Chasing your own personal happiness is a bit like chasing an orgasm. If you always focus on your own pleasure then you risk becoming an egocentric wanker who doesn't give a shit about others. Focus on making others happy and your own happiness will sneak up on you from behind. Meaningful activity. Many of us hate our jobs but slave away because we don't want to take the pay cut for a career we would love. But if you live simply and stop chasing the almighty dollar, you can probably chase that dream job. And make time to get into hobbies you love. And of course you can't do better than ride motorbikes. Find a meaning of life. It doesn't have to be a religion, or particular spiritual outlook, although research suggests this can help. It doesn't have to be all that deep and meaningful navel gazing and introspection... it might just be deciding that family, friends and dirt bikes are your top priorities, then just organising your life around that. Pleasure. Enjoy great food, warm baths, sex, a regular massage, dirt riding. A Beta Xtrainer. These are the icing on the cake, but if you focus on your own pleasure exclusively you will just become a self-focused prick. Especially in the bedroom. Many people spend a lifetime working in jobs they hate to buy into a lifestyle that is meant to make them happy, but it doesn't. Then with death around the corner they wonder why didn't I spend more time with the family? Why didn't I do the things I loved? When you have quiet moment, see if your life is heading in the direction you want. As George Bernard Shaw once said, We don’t stop playing because we grow old; we grow old because we stop playing. MUSIC Title: Mr FijiWiji - The Mentalist Listen on Spotify: http://open.spotify.com/track/0YdZ8DaTnj1sF2g2KMlS36 Video Link: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HSsvWUeAFM8