Happiness vs Pleasure

It’s my lunch hour, I think a lot about this topic. One of the biggest mistake we make in life is to confuse happiness and pleasure. We’re not horrible people, we just confuse happiness and pleasure, then make short term decision that maximise pleasure without thinking too much about our happiness.

We see the pattern in everything we do, be it work, health and relationships. Optimizing for pleasure is easier as results are immediate. Happiness requires discipline. For instance, being healthy involves eating clean. But we’re surrounded by so much temptations that we often give in for a little guilty pleasure; then pay the price down the road.

The difference is pretty clear: Happiness brings lasting peace, pleasure brings momentary happiness usually followed by regrets. Chasing pleasure gives us an illusion of happiness.

When we know what makes us happy, we really need to commit to it. The way we do the small things in life is the same way we do the big things. So discipline everywhere is a must. Look at someone like Cristiano Ronaldo, if he was only disciplined in practice, he wouldn’t be even close to the man he is today. Once we know what we really want, we have to simplify our lives. Simplicity enables think to fall at the right place at the right time. Easier said than done, it comes with a price. We lose “friends” in the process, but the ones that truly care about us and want to see us happy stay and help us get there.

Find out what you from life, you can’t just live life aimlessly. Most of us want just want to be happy. We can all be happy, it just takes work, like most things that matters in life. Naval Ravitkant once said that happiness is the absence of desire. In other words, it’s a state of mind where we feel complete in the present moment. It’s something worth working on. It has to come from you, happiness is an inside job. Happiness cannot be pursued; it must ensue, and it only does so as the unintended side effect of one’s personal dedication to a cause greater than oneself.

Play chess, not checkers. Optimize your decisions for long-term happiness rather than short-term pleasure and you’ll see how your world will change.

Goodluck,

Ned

I write about my experiences and philosophy on medium, and tweet at @NedNadima.