The Contrast Between What You Have Now and What You Are Just Doing

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Everyone strives for a good life because they think it will make them happy. But what actually brings happiness is the contrast between what you have now and whatever you are just doing. Living in foxholes and trenches for weeks or months at a time made soldiers daydream about normal life. In his book on the final days of World War II, Stephen Ambrose writes about a wounded American soldier who knows he's going home.

A weird thing in life is that everyone strives for a good life because they think it will make them happy. But what actually brings happiness is the contrast between what you have now and whatever you were just doing.

The best drink you will ever taste is a glass of tap water when you’re thirsty.

The best food you will ever eat is fast food when you’re starving.

The best massage you will ever feel is sitting on a couch after a long run.

The best sleep you will ever experience is when your newborn finally sleeps through the night.

This episode is about happiness, and the counterintuitive places it's often found.