The secret to long-lasting happiness
Simplicity.
The needle of the human mind, by default, always stands in the middle between pain and pleasure. It's so precise that if you move it to the right by 30 degrees, it will move itself to the left exactly by 30 degrees.
Moving to the right is a metaphor for enjoying some sensory pleasures and moving to the left is a metaphor for pain or discomfort. If you focus on enjoying sensory pleasures, your daily routine will be really boring for you. If you really indulge yourself in instant gratification, you will even find it very painful doing normal tasks, such as taking a shower or washing dishes.
However, if you are disciplined and live a simple life, you will find washing dishes very enjoyable; taking a cold shower in the early morning and you can feel the preciousness of “sweetness in the cold"; just taking a walk and you can see the dance of the existence. It’s the rewards of simple living; the reward of deepening awareness. I call it “meta-happiness”: it's gentle, light, yet very intelligent and original.
The secret of long-lasting happiness is simplicity.