Where You Settle Down Has a Huge Factor to Your Happiness
We are Products of our Nature
My mini-retirement has finally come to an end. I am now back in the Philippines, and I miss Bali, Indonesia. I never thought eight months would go by so fast.
Good things truly come to an end.
But it’s not so bad here in my home country. I get to spend time with family, and I get to freeload from my parents. I don’t have to pay for anything, and I get to cushion my money. All the family time we’ve missed, we’re now paying our debts slowly.
It has been one week since we’ve arrived and I’ve wrecked all the habits and rituals I’ve developed from our mini-retirement.
Back in Bali, I had a semi-vegetarian diet, I run regularly, and I sleep early. Now that I’m home I eat like a madman, I haven’t used my running shoes, and I sleep late like a teenager.
In one big swoop, my good habits fell apart.
Back in college, our Philosophy professor posed a question on how our behaviors are shaped. Is it through nature or nurture? I never understood the issue back then, and I never bothered to understand.
But I can’t help but ask my wife if all our work back in Bali was for naught.
“It’s as if we threw everything away — we are back to zero. Are we slaves to our environment?”
You always ask yourself the what, why, when and how of your happiness.
What makes me happy? Why am I living? When am I the happiest? How do I become happy?
But we rarely ask ourselves — where is my happiness located?
Our geography dictates a big part of our well being and inner peace. The amount of traffic, consumerism, and chaos I’ve experienced in the metro was notorious compared to the tranquility I got in Bali. Incomparable. I could’ve loved the hustle and bustle if I was young beaming yuppie ready to take over the world. But I’ve moved past that stage already, and I’m now seeking for a more serene environment.
Are we slaves to our environment? Do we merely adhere to the routines and rituals of the people around us?
My stubborn nature would like to say that we have complete control over what we do with our lives. But I have to accept defeat and tell you that our location and the people we surround ourselves with play a big part.
So choose wisely where you want to settle down.
This will stem from your what, why and how. What is your goal? How will you make it happen? And why are doing it? If you want to become a Hollywood actor, it’s obvious that you should work your way into Los Angeles. A tech entrepreneur would make his way to Silicon Valley. And a yogi will find his way to India and study with gurus.
It was easy to change my habits when I was in Bali cause I was starting with a blank slate. My wife and I averaged out — she slept a bit late, and I slept earlier than my usual. I got a bit of her exercise addiction, and I gave her a few of my creative aspirations.
Choose the people you want to emulate and spend more time with them. And think of your location as a central piece of your happiness.
Talk to you soon my friend.
