Nice post. With regard to #1 for me it boils down to finding life satisfaction with just the basics. One doesn’t need to be a fully “self-actualized” (Maslow’s invented term) individual to be happy.
#2 reminded me of a classic AA/recovery saying-”what other people think of me is none of my business.” Saw recently another rendition of this concept: When you are young, what others think of you matters intensely. As you move toward middle age, it starts to matter less and less what others think. And as you become an “elder” (which I am rapidly approaching!) you realize they didn’t think of you at all in the first place.
#3 Just watched a TED talk by neuroscientist Anil Seth on how our brains basically “hallucinate” our conscious realities. We just process information then project our version of the world “out there” and we share the same projections with others, we designate it “reality.” Check it out-fascinating talk.
Keep ‘em coming.