The Dark Side of Happiness: 34 Lessons I Learned From Rock Bottom
The Dark Side of Happiness: 34 Lessons I Learned From Rock Bottom
Confessions of a Recovered Optimist
For years, I chased happiness like a butterfly, my net filled with shimmering hopes and hollow expectations. I chased careers, relationships, accolades, and anything that promised even a fleeting glimpse of that golden butterfly. But the closer I got, the more its wings seemed to turn to dust, leaving me empty and gasping for air. Finally, my net snagged, ripping open, and I tumbled headfirst into the abyss. Rock bottom, they call it. But in that suffocating darkness, I learned 32 truths so raw, so real, that they reshaped me from the inside out. This isn't a story of triumph over tragedy, it's a confession of a recovered optimist, a testament to the unexpected gifts despair can offer.
Lesson I learned
Life SUCKS. Suck it back!
Never trust anyone. Not even your mother. Someone could be holding a gun at her.
In life, you don’t get what’s fair. You get what you bargain for.
Knowledge is NOT power. Knowledge management is power.
Don’t strive to become rich. Strive to become happy.
Life doesn’t reward the one who excelled in school. It rewards the RAINMAKER.
Life doesn’t reward the one who works hard. It rewards the thief.
Never take anything for granted. Life’s tragedies are often disguised as things taken for granted.
Never take life too seriously. You may miss to see your only true love.
The greatest mistake most people make is to chase money.
Money is an illusion that the poor continue to chase while the rich get richer.
Being broke is not a tragedy. It’s just a patch of life to remind you that you made poor decisions about money.
Money is most of the times used to reward hard work, sweat and blood. Yet we mistreat it by buying all the useless things in life.
Today is your day. Enjoy it and make the most of it while you can. Tomorrow is the devil’s day.
There’s no such thing as tomorrow. Only today.
There’s no such thing as an accident. Only poor judgments as a result of human error.
There’s no such thing as luck. Only a series of good judgments as a result of quality decisions and a sober mind.
Education is good, but education alone will not make you rich. Good judgments will result in great riches.
If your brain can’t think properly, format it. And load it with new software. Then re-program your mind.
The secret to a better life is the mysterious process of change. Yet all of us hate change.
No change comes without pressure.
Thinking differently doesn’t mean you’re a genius. It just means that you’re crazy.
A little ‘crazyness’ is not necessarily harmful. I don’t know of a billionaire who is not.
Foolishness is the little devil in your mind that tells you to watch pornography.
Greed is the little devil in your mind that prevents you from seeing the big picture.
When people tell you they love you, they're just politely saying they love your money.
Life is not as it seems. What you see is only 10%. 90% is below the surface.
When a woman sizes up a man only one thing comes to her mind - how much of him can be eaten.
Nothing is free, including the oxygen we breathe. That’s why we pay tithe.
Make no assumptions. Lest you’re wrong and people assume you’re a fool.
Don’t FEAR death. Fear living through life without a purpose.
There’s a 10/10 chance that you’ll die one day. Live as if today was your last day.
Never call anyone a fool. Remember you also were once.
Stop worrying about the future which you have no control over.
Suggested Readings
5 common mental health disorders in children and how to recognize the signs
8 Specific and practical ways to teach children good work ethics while they are young
A Mother's Desperate Plea: My Son Has Cut Me Out of His Life
Communication Breakdown: How to Overcome Parent-Child Conflict
Discovering the Fine Line Between Self-Respect and Ego: A Personal Anecdote
Effective Communication Strategies for Parents: Building Strong Relationships with Your Children
Exploring the Complexities of a Father-Child Relationship When the Father Never Wanted Children