Pleasure, Relationships, Purpose... Among Them, the Greatest Happiness is OO

[Asia Economy Reporter Seomideum] Childhood dreams are infinite. There are many things one wants to become and do. Usually, admission to Harvard or Seoul National University is taken for granted. However, as one grows older, they realize that talents are limited and not as excellent as expected. Nevertheless, how one lives the given life is an important matter. How should one live the two-thirds of life spent awake, excluding the one-third spent sleeping?

One of the main driving forces of life is fear. Fear either "provokes conflict by making one compete with rivals over resources" or "causes the whole family to pack up and cross the sea in search of abundant resources." Therefore, understanding one's fear is directly related to the way of life. This is why "one must learn how to identify fear." "It can be recognized through bodily tension or through patterns of thought tension. (...) Once these techniques are clearly understood, they must be practiced repeatedly" to maintain high performance.

However, achievements based on fear have limits. They enable survival but do not produce the best outcomes. Ultimately, the pursuit of happiness yields greater results. So what is important? Psychologists point to pleasure, relationships, and purpose as key factors.

Pleasure is the lowest level of happiness. Momentary happiness such as sex, gambling, and drinking falls into this category. Up to this point, there is no difference from animals. The higher level of happiness is harmonious human relationships. Since humans are social animals, harmonious relationships contribute to enhancing the value of life. Lower-level immersion generates intense happiness.

The highest level of happiness is a life led by purpose. It is a "high state of immersion" based on a benevolent intention to "influence the lives of others." The author describes it as "the greatest emotion humans can feel on Earth."

Ultimately, what is needed for happiness is perseverance. According to an experiment conducted at Yale University with 16,000 participants, "people with less perseverance pursue happiness through pleasure, whereas those with more perseverance seek relationships. By persistently choosing relationships and entering immersion, they actually enjoy much more happiness."

The author explains, "Perseverance requires more energy and strong emotions in the short term, but in the long term, it induces a stronger uplifting effect in terms of mood and motivation."

So how does one maintain perseverance? The author recommends the strategy of listing clear goals and tackling the most important and difficult tasks first, known as 'eating the ugly frog first.' The author has a note on the desk saying 'Do the hard work,' and says, "This phrase helps me tackle the hardest tasks while I have the highest level of energy."

A growth mindset is also emphasized by the author. While a fixed mindset limits talent to something innate, a growth mindset is the concept that "talent is merely a starting point, and everything changes through effort and practice."

The author states, "People with a growth mindset experience many ignitions in the brain like fireworks when faced with difficult problems," and "when confronted with complex challenges, they work harder, longer, and smarter, employing a wider variety of problem-solving strategies."

He continues, "Curiosity is the first step. By continuously asking questions and learning, it becomes difficult to think that learning itself is impossible," emphasizing, "Once you believe you can learn, you become curious about everything you can learn, and by regularly applying a growth mindset, you pursue the greatest benefits."

This content was produced with the assistance of AI translation services.