Arguably, or rather inarguably, happiness is the one thing we’re all after, but rarely one of us stumbles on a consistent well of it. I don’t claim that I have a magical formula, but nonetheless, I want to share my philosophy for a happy life with you.

And yet, I don’t mean to say that living according to any philosophy equates to happiness. But we can’t avoid having a philosophy; even having no philosophy is a philosophy. What I’ll describe here is not a philosophy that I created before living life. It’s what emerged from living life. It’s an observation of what came naturally expressed itself.

Here is a little disclaimer: This is a patchwork philosophy consisting of maxims I live by, not because someone has served them to me, but because I’ve earned them fair and square by playing the game called life.

When it comes to life philosophies, I believe that you should create your own through experience, which is worth way more than second-hand or third-hand or even fourth-hand (who knows how many hands have been on it before) life advice. It doesn’t serve you to take regurgitated ideas and try to make yourself fit into them. Especially when your experience is telling you something else.​

Here is a 2nd little disclaimer: My philosophy for a happy life emerged from many years of spiritual and philosophical inquiry + experience. So, whatever I’m presenting here is not supposed to reflect some ultimate truth. Instead, it represents the culmination of everything I’ve come to test and realize on my individual path.

Also, this doesn’t mean they’re set in stone. They may and most definitely will change as life goes on, so I try not to hang on to them as if they were the absolute truth.

If something resonates with you here, don’t just believe it. Put it under serious scrutiny. Test it out. See if it works for you. And if it does, great!

But before we get into my radical philosophy for a happy life, there are two things I want to clarify.

What is a Happy Life?

Many of us have the wrong idea about happiness. We believe happiness is this magical place without sorrow we arrive at when we have fulfilled all the right conditions. And this is exactly what happiness becomes for many of us – a pleasure chase.

But this idea of happiness will keep you chasing forever.

The happiness I’m talking about here is not an emotional state per se. Emotional states are never consistent, and even if they were, your organism would adapt pretty quickly. Even the most glorious ecstasy would eventually turn bleak if it’s going on for long enough.

After all, what meaning would pleasure have without pain?

What I mean when I say happiness is a kind of deep, full visceral knowing that no matter how much shit is hitting how many fans, all is well. It is more akin to peace and contentment in the face of emotions. So, it’s a layer deeper than emotions. It’s the consistent field of well-being behind everything.

When we speak of our true nature, that’s how I would describe it.

Of course, I understand that having all the basic amenities for life, like food, water, shelter, health, and so on, seems necessary for happiness. But the way I see it is that those are different kinds of happiness.

You can have a difficult life, be in pain, and to everyone it will seem as if you’re struggling, but still, you can know that all is well. It’s the most curious thing. You’re in the world but not of it.

Yet, I also understand that just reading all this, probably won’t turn your life into a life of everlasting peace and happiness. But if it does, that’d be nice.

Besides, I’m not claiming to be some all-knowing lotus-sitting beard-stroking mountain-living wise guy who can give you the answers you seek. I’m like you. At some point, I just got kind of serious about figuring this whole predicament I found myself in out. And I like writing about it. So here we are.

I feel like we have kind of digressed, but hey, the most scenic route is rarely the fastest, right?

What My Happy Life Philosophy is Based Upon

Ok, one more thing before we get into the maxims that make up my happy life philosophy. Just one more thing, I swear.

This is important to mention because there is a premise, kind of another philosophy, that underlies my life philosophy. Everything I’m talking about is based on the premise of looking inside rather than outside.

And although you’ll see that there are maxims that reflect this inside-out approach, you’ll also notice that it’s all based on looking inside and allowing the outside to take care of itself.

That’s why I’ve called it radical, because we usually get conditioned into trying to change everything and everyone around us to feel good.

The problem with trying to change things around us so that we can feel good is that it doesn’t work.

First, with this approach, we’ll never be done because we’ll always have to keep trying and control external factors that simply cannot be controlled. And second, when you change things from a state of dissatisfaction and self-judgment, you might regret it when you’re no longer in this state.

Or to put it differently. When you identify with an emotional state, your actions won’t be aligned actions, but fear-based. Instead of allowing spontaneous right action to unfold, your actions will reflect your desire for approval, control, and security, lacking any integrity. You’ll simply be stuck in a hamster wheel of actions. You’ll realize that no amount of action provides you with fulfillment, but instead of seeing the inherent problem with worshipping action, we usually move on to the next action, hoping this might finally be the right one.

But with the inside-out approach, we put it on its head. We align internally, allowing the external change to happen by itself.

This approach has two major benefits.

The first one is that the more you look inside rather than outside, the less your well-being will be dependent on outside factors.

The second one is that when change happens, it will be sustainable and lasting because you’re not trying to force the change from a place of inner violence. In my experience, lasting change is not done by you but through you.

Alright, now that we’ve clarified potential misunderstandings, let’s get into the juicy bit of this piece. So, without further ado, I present to you my glorious and somewhat radical philosophy for a happy life.

23 Maxims For a Happy Life

– Every time trying hard or a feeling of pushing uphill is involved, something ain’t quite right.

– Be in the world as if it were a dream (who says, it isn’t?).

– Things happen the way I want if the ‘I’ that wants is out of the way.

– Control is an illusion.

– Spending time on not wanting things is time well spent.

– Other people and events are never the problems.

– Making decisions from a place of emotional turmoil leads to bad decisions.

– Hard and much work doesn’t mean shit.

– To change something, stop wanting to change it.

– Whatever happens is perfect, even if the mind disagrees.

– There is no right way to live; life can be lived in any way.

– Being kind to others makes life easy.

– Life is a game—be serious in your unseriousness.

– No amount of external adaptation can solve internal maladaptation.

– The way to deal with all inner turmoil is to accept it the way it is and thus see that it has nothing to do with you.

– Creative work leads to a sense of fulfillment.

– Fear cannot be made to go away; it needs to be surrendered to.

– Worrying is the absurdest thing there is.

– No belief is true, and it’s all beliefs.

– Where there is insistence on ‘me’, there is suffering.

– Seeking happiness is nothing but a pleasure chase.

– Approval is the worst drug there is.

– Whatever purpose I might have, I’m already fulfilling it.

You might disagree with some of what I’ve written, and that’s to be expected. To that, I can say, trust yourself, be your own authority, and let your own experience dictate how you go through life.

If you want to go on a self-transformation journey, check out The 101 Steps for Transformation.