Earlier quoted context omitted.
Where’d you go?
Currently in Egypt (spending a few months here can alter your perspective), next up ... we'll see! My next permanent base is going to be Russia.
Also in Egypt (Dahab). Say hi!
Ask HN: What was the biggest contributor to your happiness in the past year?
311–320 of 545 posts
Re: Ask HN: What was the biggest contributor to your happiness in the past year?
#312Getting a nice car. I’m prone to depression if I stay in the house too long. Having a nice car means when I roll out of bed in the morning, I’m able to head straight to a nice, comfortable, private, warm space and start listening to meaningful podcasts, audiobooks, get breakfast, head to the gym, and get a consistent good start on the day. I’m not sure if I can go back to city living at this point if it means giving…
In contrast I hate driving cars. I feel like it’s my least favorite tool. I have a nice car, I’ve driven even nicer cars in different styles and hated them all. Driving requires so much of my attention I feel like it’s invasive. In addition I feel like I have to sit relatively still and use my muscles in very particular way. It’s a trap for my mind in body, and an experience I don’t find pleasant. I am an American an…
I find some of that attention neccessary for enjoyment. The joy of going fast, rowing your own gears, etc
Re: Ask HN: What was the biggest contributor to your happiness in the past year?
#313Earlier quoted context omitted.
I’m 36 and followed a similar path “retiring” a few years ago to be a stay at home dad. I missed out on my daughters early years due to being a workaholic and didn’t want to do the same with my son. I failed to realise when I was young I can earn more money but never more time and memories built from a phone video suck. I enjoy spending time doing work on the house and since we moved to [redacted] in 2018 I do a few…
I am far away from being a dad but curious, how do you balance "providing for your kid" and "being there for your kid"?
By "providing for your kid" I assume you mean financially?
There is no secret. I go without some things I would like but are not as important to me, such as an expensive car and expensive holidays.
Basically if it qualifies as "expensive" I usually forgo it. Not for everything but I try to balance if spending more on something is worth it.
Financially we have a comfortable life. We have no debts at all. My wife has a good income and a "safe" job. We have a decent amount in savings. And so we just live a simple life.
Is there anything specific you would like to know? I am happy to share.
Re: Ask HN: What was the biggest contributor to your happiness in the past year?
#314Transitioning my gender. Living my truth. Coming out to everyone in my life and being forced to confront the shame that held me back for decades. It took a lot of reflection and was cause for a lot of growth. But now I'm not only mentally happier, I'm taking better care of my body because it finally feels like it's my own.
Congrats stranger!!
Re: Ask HN: What was the biggest contributor to your happiness in the past year?
#315Studying Russian. What a beautiful language and culture. I just love to listen about Russian culture and history. Their museums have wonderful social media channels.
Re: Ask HN: What was the biggest contributor to your happiness in the past year?
#316I "retired" at 33 after working in tech for 12 years and saving a ton of money. With my free time I run a fun hobby business teaching kayaking which is way more fun and brings me way more happiness than anything I did in 2019 or before.
I wish I could do that but I only think this is possible by getting a job in the US or Switzerland. They’re both not easy to get if you’re not a citizen there. There was even this Swiss recruiter that scours HN, but after he finds out you’re a recent college grad he vanishes. At least, in my case. Maybe not in other cases.
You don't need to be a Swiss citizen to work in Switzerland. EU citizens are entitled to move to CH and work there — all that's needed is a job offer. Of course, there may be issues like language to overcome (many jobs will use the local language, though some companies are English-speaking) or a bias against non-Swiss folks but those aren't legal or technical hurdles.
It's much harder to get a job as a non-Swiss/non-EU.
Re: Ask HN: What was the biggest contributor to your happiness in the past year?
#317Earlier quoted context omitted.
I wish I could do that but I only think this is possible by getting a job in the US or Switzerland. They’re both not easy to get if you’re not a citizen there. There was even this Swiss recruiter that scours HN, but after he finds out you’re a recent college grad he vanishes. At least, in my case. Maybe not in other cases.
This isn't even that common in the US. Sure, there's a chance of retiring early. For most of us, that won't happen prior to age 50, if at all.
It's not common at all, but it's very achievable for most engineers in the US if they're willing to live below their means. Engineers in the US make 2-3x the median income. The difference in disposable income is even greater when you subtract off the costs of necessities. And yet, those other people aren't working 2-3x as many years.
It may mean not going out to eat all the time, not buying a fancy new car all the time, not having a fancy house in the most prestigious neighborhood, etc. I'm not saying it's bad to buy or want these things, but they are luxuries you pay for with hours in the office.
Early retirement is even easier if retire doesn't mean, "never work for money again", and instead means, "I don't have to take salary into consideration when deciding when/where to work". I'm an engineer living in the SF Bay area who doesn't make tech money and I'll still be able to retire after 15-20 years, easily, while still having waaaay more than my parents did when I was growing up.
Re: Ask HN: What was the biggest contributor to your happiness in the past year?
#318Lexapro & Adderall. Which enabled me to rediscover my desire to innovate and learn.
How did you end up on that combination?
I first tried wellbutrin, which is used for both depression and mild ADD.
It was not the right choice (it's hard to describe, but it felt like trying to push through a sheet of latex- I could it helping, but it felt like that. also, I was getting some physical side effects), but gaining that mild stimulant and then losing it caused me to bring it up. Combined with my parents trying ADD meds when I was young caused my doctor give me one of those ADD tests, and I was far enough over the line to try it. And it worked.
I'm only on 25mg which is too much some days (but you can adjust the dosage yourself), but my doctor was very open to the conversation (maybe because I paid him directly, no insurance).
It's the kind of thing (both Anti-Deps and Stimulants) everyone should explore if they think they might help.
Hit me with questions. Mental Health is not something I am ashamed of (nor should anyone else be IMO)
EDIT. Lexapro was the 2nd med tried, and it works well enough where I don't feel like rolling the dice again.
Re: Ask HN: What was the biggest contributor to your happiness in the past year?
#319Earlier quoted context omitted.
+1 Also, train ride videos, for example this one in Switzerland: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Mw9qiV7XlFs
Yeah train ride videos are amazing. I cannot put my finger on why though. I guess because it is mellow, chill, and open-ended. Plus you get to see all of this terrain and the changes to it in an easy to process way, on a time scale. Trains are a lot more comfortable to be on, or even watch, than airplanes, although airplanes often get you from point A to B faster. I also like going on “walks” on VR, on Google Earth V…
You might enjoy Tiny Rails for Android then ;)
Re: Ask HN: What was the biggest contributor to your happiness in the past year?
#320Video walks on Youtube. If you haven't heard of them before, they're simple first-person videos where the filmer walks around some area with a stabilized video camera - no talking, just walking. I've really missed traveling and watching video walks while exercising has been a great way to satisfy that travel craving a bit and also trick my brain into experiencing some semblance of normalcy (not sure I could remember…
Johnny Strides doing Toronto: https://www.youtube.com/c/JohnnyStrides/videos