91–100 of 117 posts
I find it somewhat interesting how often people profess that their key to happiness essentially boils down to living the sort of "good life" that in many ways is the Christian ideal, regardless of whether or not they are personally religious. Although there are habits and rituals that can lead to a more positive outlook, such as exercising regularly, there are deeper aspects to this way of life. This includes helping…
I have a theory. I think that self-help books and articles actually make people miserable. I'm quite happy, and I manage to be happy without having a list of the 6 essential things I must do every day to stay happy. In my personal life, the people most into self-help books and the like are the least happy. Correlation doesn't prove causation, so I can't blame the books and blogs -- but they certainly don't seem to be…
You're being a jerk, whether you meant to or not.
I have a theory. I think that self-help books and articles actually make people miserable. I'm quite happy, and I manage to be happy without having a list of the 6 essential things I must do every day to stay happy. In my personal life, the people most into self-help books and the like are the least happy. Correlation doesn't prove causation, so I can't blame the books and blogs -- but they certainly don't seem to be…
What you do is as bad as standing next to a doctor's office and telling the people coming in, that you personally don't need to see the doctor to be healthy, so they must be doing something wrong, especially since they seem to come in more than once. You're being a jerk, whether you meant to or not.
Earlier quoted context omitted.
> Why is this unexpected? From my nonreligious standpoint, I see Christianity (and indeed, most religions) as a device created specifically for this reason -- to allow people to be content with themselves. I'd like to clarify that I see a difference between the so-called Christian "way of life" and the Christian "way of thinking". The activities and behaviours (e.g. hard work, fair dealing, etc.) of the Christian way…
>>> I'd like to clarify that I see a difference between the so-called Christian "way of life" and the Christian "way of thinking". The activities and behaviours (e.g. hard work, fair dealing, etc.) of the Christian way of life may lead to happiness, but the thoughts and mindset of the Christian way of thinking may not (e.g. guilt over over normal sexual desires). >>> In fact, I think that many religions, and this esp…
I'm glad this is working for you, but please don't think for a moment that more than a few individuals that can't handle adult relationships that involve sex think this way. Cognitive dissonance likely has a large psychological component in your reasoning.
Earlier quoted context omitted.
> Why is this unexpected? From my nonreligious standpoint, I see Christianity (and indeed, most religions) as a device created specifically for this reason -- to allow people to be content with themselves. I'd like to clarify that I see a difference between the so-called Christian "way of life" and the Christian "way of thinking". The activities and behaviours (e.g. hard work, fair dealing, etc.) of the Christian way…
>>> I'd like to clarify that I see a difference between the so-called Christian "way of life" and the Christian "way of thinking". The activities and behaviours (e.g. hard work, fair dealing, etc.) of the Christian way of life may lead to happiness, but the thoughts and mindset of the Christian way of thinking may not (e.g. guilt over over normal sexual desires). >>> In fact, I think that many religions, and this esp…
However, getting there without going through a gruelling 9-5 existence can be demotivating. You have to do it. People will probably be happiest getting advice on how to be content in an unhappy (/less than ideal) work environment, as this is what most people have to do.
Unless you're lucky enough to find the right collaborators, and funding, or stumble into an idea that makes money from the start, or start trying to do your own thing early on in your 20s when time doesn't matter so much, you're going to have to do the 9-5, and save up, and instead of buying a house take some time off for your own ideas.
Cycle to work. Live closer to work. Take your lunch break & have a stroll. Don't eat too many pizzas or chips. See some friends at least twice a week. Cook a nice meal for a mate. See an amazing film. Don't watch live tv. Find projects to work on with people you like, and that they're also motivated by. Ask someone you like out on a date, at least once a month. Be ambitious, but don't beat yourself up for not achieving. Learn from mistakes - actually recognise improvements, but don't beat yourself up for not doing them..they'll be another time. Ignore fluffy people - there's nothing going on below their superficial surfice. Live within your means; don't buy a new shiney device if you can't afford it when something else will do the same job. Save money for a rainy day.
[Edit:updated a spelling mistake, and added below] Practicalities like finding a good house mate, that allows you to have a good 8 hour sleep, whilst maintaining a degree of interesting human contact allude me.
One thing that I am impressed with is that Joel (OP) is good at following advice. About 7 days ago I commented that I thought his post was inappropriately named (I took issue with Joel using "How to name your startup" rather than "my experience with how I named my startup" (because of what I felt was his limited experience in this area). http://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=4371318 On this post he titles correctly "6…
I think you're overestimating your involvement in the naming of this blogpost.
The other points I agree with, too. But in my experience the first two points organically lead to the later ones.
On a side note: I'm an atheist and raised as such. I don't think guilt, dogmatic thinking, and the fear(!) of an afterlife would be conducive to my happiness. The intersection between The Christian Way Of Life and the OP's original points is so random and incomplete, you could just as well draw a connection to Scientology and be more spot-on (and still–for all practical purposes–not be spot-on at all).