It’s Too Easy…

I flew to Kenya on June 6th, and it is so hard. The travel is long, exhausting, and uncomfortable. You have to actually fly for 18 hours in a plane to get there, but that doesn’t count the endless lines, security checks, and waiting.

You get there, and your body is like, “What did you just do to me?”

Your next obstacle to conquer is jet lag and Kenyan traffic! Nothing about traveling or being in Kenya is easy; everything takes work. Even just trying to sleep.

My body woke very early every day, and I would get up and do yoga, workout, or get my coffee, (thank you Outpost Coffee for going with me). I would get up and prepare for the day, as this was easier than “trying” to sleep.

Every day was so FULL. And every day we woke up with an agenda and purpose. Even if the purpose was “fun day,” it was still long, long days.

The reason is that nothing is fast, nothing is just a quick task; everything takes so much patience and work, even just to drive to your destination. Nothing is “easy.”

As I have reflected on my trip and returned to the U.S., I have been wrestling with our easy-peasy American lives. And I think our ease hurts and robs us.

I look at my children, and they have it way way too easy. I look at my clean water to be able to brush my teeth and my constant electricity and smooth driving roads, and “our traffic” and transportation services, fast food at my fingertips, traffic lights and laws, whatever temperature I desire, and grocery delivery, all too easy.

Arthur C. Brooks is a Professor at the Harvard Business School, and he teaches the most sought-after course at Harvard. There are waiting lists and lines to take his course on “Happiness.”

In this course, he teaches about happiness based on research from a long study that followed a large group of people’s lives to discover the key to a good life.

The study revealed what he teaches in this course, and students love to come and interact and engage in the course.

Brooks teaches about 3 Macro-Nutrients that have been discovered to achieve happiness in life, which are:

1. Enjoyment

2. Satisfaction

3. Meaning

These nutrients, when activated in your life, will produce happiness. Let’s look at each one.

The nutrient of Enjoyment interacts with our memories and brings us out of survival mode. This is an experience beyond pleasure. Pleasure is a place in the brain that is only good for survival or the passing on of your genes. Enjoyment brings us out of the primitive parts of our brain and creates space to experience fun, warmth, and contentment.

Next, Satisfaction is the JOY you get after you STRUGGLE for something.

When you look at other places in the world where there are not as many modern conveniences, it is undeniable that there is so much JOY present. And when Americans, with all their daily comforts, experience this dichotomy, it is always a bit surprising.

How can things be so “hard” here and the people have so much “Joy?”

And I think this is the answer… it’s all about the Struggle!

My two younger sons both play basketball. Currently, my younger son is playing on a team, and they are beating teams by 30-50 a game, and it is NO fun to watch, because it is WAY too EASY.

We want to see a “good” game. We want to see a fight. We want to see someone have to work REALLY hard for the win. When it is so easy, it is no FUN, it is boring, and it is unsatisfying!

Brooks says something like this, “The funny thing about human beings is we want the struggle, we want the pain.”

If there is NOTHING that you are having to WORK for, struggle for, that is HARD, that takes some muscle, grit, time, sleepless nights, sweat, and tears, you are probably going to find yourself very unsatisfied with your life.

The struggle is necessary, and the struggle produces great satisfaction.

As I reflect on my time in Kenya, I came back to all my little comforts and realized more so than ever that I need the struggle, because the struggle is actually providing the nutrients I need to live a truly fulfilling, satisfying, happy life.

The last Macro-Nutrient is Meaning. With our huge emphasis on individualism here in Western culture, I believe this nutrient is possibly a much bigger issue here in the U.S. than other areas of the world, because meaning comes from being PART of something bigger and greater than YOU!

Be it a family, a church, a tribe, a community, you need your place your part in something bigger than you.

We need to get smaller and make the universe larger.

But what often happens here is we just keep making ourselves larger. Our problems, our desires, our issues, our fears, our anxieties, and in that equation, you strip yourself of the opportunity for true happiness when you become the center of your world.

Every human, at their core, wants and desires meaning for their life and wants to be part of something meaningful.

My dear, I want you to look at these 3 nutrients, Enjoyment, Satisfaction, and Meaning, and evaluate how you are getting them in your diet.

What do you need to adjust in your life? What do you need more of? How can you be more intentional about your enjoyment? Or take on a challenge to increase your satisfaction? Do you need to remind yourself of your purpose and meaning in this life?

I am privileged to have found my reason, to have the ability to live out a life full of meaningful work, and I want this for you, my dear.

If you need to be part of something, join me! Message me, I need partners and ambassadors to join me.

And remember, EASY doesn’t equate to good. Sometimes things can be just too easy! So get up, make your bed, take a shower, go to the store buy some fresh food, cook it, go to the gym, work-out, get out of the house, get dressed, wash your hair, read a book, learn something new, work, don’t just settle for easy-peasy.

Embrace the hard with me, embrace the struggle, and let’s find our true happiness together.

From my heart  to yours,