Happiness project - Monthly update | April 2025

Four months into this, and I’m more excited about this project than when I started. I have a feeling I spent the most amount of time on the project this month. I read quite a bit but I also gave good enough time to other activities.

Good going!

Reflections and progress update

One of those activities that I truly enjoyed was having conversations with AI large language models (LLMs). I had two conversations with ChatGPT this month. One on various definitions of happiness and one on habits that can support happier states of being. The structure that was applied to the topics, the ease with which essays can be created with prompts, and the resources that ChatGPT shared with me were wonderful. This is a new way of learning that I’ll practice more and more in other aspects of life, too.

I noticed in April that this happiness learning project helps me connect with folks. I don’t have to bother to find a lunch table conversation topic at all. Every conversation was approached by other people with genuine curiosity and an intention to support. No one, in any conversation, has mocked this attempt or made any snide, sarcastic remark. Friends and family (including those that I may have lost touch with) send me videos, reels, book suggestions, etc., because they remember that I’m doing this. I’m truly grateful for all this support.

You go, girl!

In April, I spent a lot of time on concepts around mindfulness. I practised my meditation devotedly. I happened to spend many slow evenings in a nearby park trying to be present. I feel that mindfulness holds the most leverage in an endeavour to improve one’s happiness levels. I’ve tried to summarise what I’ve learnt, but frankly, it may not even be scratching the surface of this mine.

Inner peace, or something like that.

3 concepts learnt in the month

First, our most pleasurable and/or happiest moments are when we’re free from our minds. Prayer, spiritual practices, giving, gratitude, time spent with young kids or pets, meaningful and focused work, witnessing awe-inspiring landscapes, playing sports, adventure activities, sex, desserts, intoxication, etc., take us out of the chatter of our minds. All of these make us present. One nuance to this observation is that the time horizon and the consequences of one set of activities differ from another. You get it.

Second, knowing happiness conceptually is different from realising it, feeling it, and internalising it. Words don’t convey the truth in its entirety; they can only point to it. Experiential happiness will feel different for everyone. Through practice, we need to develop a new, honest sense that is not limited to our minds’ abilities to fully experience stuff. Although it is quite helpful in day-to-day life situations, our minds’ tendency to label, box and draw boundaries around concepts could limit us from experiencing happiness.

Third, suffering and problems are as synthetic as happiness or joy. Life situations exist, and they need to be dealt with. That’s straightforward. Problems, which are merely life situations that are given a negative meaning by us, need to be overcome. Suddenly, the same life situations become much more complicated. “Problems” also present a convenient excuse for us not to deal with life situations.

Happiness mantras

I can only change myself to improve my happiness.

Choose to be happy.

One of the best ways to make yourself happy is to make other people happy; one of the best ways to make other people happy is to make yourself happy - Gretchen Rubin

To be happy, you need to consider feeling good, feeling bad and feeling right, in an atmosphere of growth - Gretchen Rubin

Content

1. [Book] The Power of Now by Eckhart Tolle - Halfway through. Find my notes here.

2. [Book] Stumbling on Happiness by Prof Daniel Gilbert - Just began.

3. [Book] The Almanack Of Naval Ravikant: A Guide to Wealth and Happiness by Eric Jorgenson - Reread

4. [Book] Thinking Fast and Slow (last section) by Daniel Kahneman.

5. [Podcast episode] 44 Harsh Truths about Human Nature featuring Naval Ravikant.

Happiness project resources

All other content, notes and resources are maintained on a public Notion board here. :)