Stephen Hawking once said, “My expectations were reduced to zero when I was 21. Everything since then has been a bonus.”
Happiness depends not on how well things are going but on whether things are going better or worse than expected.
As the Buddhists propose, lowering your expectations—at least right-sizing them—raises your joy. But be careful not to lower them so much that you become apathetic and lack enthusiasm. Find a happy balance between satisfaction and aspiration.
Idea for Impact: You needn’t always do more, be more, aspire for bigger and better, rush, hustle, and accelerate, as the world will tell you. If all you really want is a simple, pleasant, gentle life, why can’t that be enough?