Last weekend I jumped into an ice-cold ocean in New York and thought I was going to die. But Trust me- when I went back home, took a shower and was able to put on some warm clothes I was the happiest kid in the world!
Why could something as simple as a shower give me that much Joy?
Why we stop feeling Joy…
We all know this from our childhood. When you’re young $10 you get from your grandparents seems like a lot of money and you are happy and excited for all the things you could purchase. Once you start making your own money though the same amount will probably not affect you at all. Our perspective changes. As we get richer, wealthier, stronger we start to take things for granted.
I remember when I first started modeling I was so happy about my first paid shoot for a magazine- now I need more prestigious jobs to get excited.
Realizing this made me very sad. Does is mean that there is nothing we can achieve that provides unconditional and long-lasting happiness? Does our perspective always change and even huge achievements or wealth are eventually considered normal?
This definetely explains why a lot of successful Hollywood actors end up unhappy even though they have everything they could possibly dream of.
How can we change that?
As the word perspective implies it is all about your point of view. When you change the point of view from somebody who has it all to somebody who is struggling the same reality will look a lot brighter and can trigger joy and happiness.
Going to extremes has been an amazingly rewarding way for me to bring my focus back to the things I have. I lived without electricity on an island on the Titicaca lake for a couple of days when I was 15 years old in Peru. Being able to have light in my living room seemed like such a privilege after my experience with this local family in Peru.
Unfortunately the human mind works in a way that we are never aware of what we have until we lose it.
What you should do now!
I am not saying that you should risk your life searching for the extremes in order to find joy in the things you have. It can start very simply with small challenges every day.
- Spend a full day without using any electronic devices.
- Completely cut sugar out of your diet for a full week.
- Ask a homeless man for his story.
- Go on a hiking trip with nothing but a sleeping bag.
- jump into an ice-cold ocean in February.
- Go on a 24hr fast and only drink water.
- …
Through social media and the news We are constantly reminded of what we don’t have so it is easy to lose awareness of the positive things in our lives.
Being open to new challenges and embracing the unknown and uncomfortable will bring back the awareness and gratitude for what you have.
And You have a lot. Know that.
Mario Adrion 
I tell my friends the same thing. We are already at the age where most have settled down and they have resigned themselves to the fact that they no longer have the time and resources to enjoy any form of hobbies because they now have parental and financial obligations. They just stay home and watch TV or surf the web all day on their rest days. I try to encourage them and even give advice (to those interested) on how they could pursue the things that they want to do without sacrificing those said obligations. I share my photos and blog posts in my social media so that I could inspire them to do the same and try to be break out of the comfort zone that they’ve built for themselves. Also, from a child’s point of view, I’d rather see parents who are enjoying themselves doing things they love (and, in the process, inspiring me to do the same) than parents who are always stuck in wishful thinking.
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I could not agree more!
I can also understand your friends though. If I hadn’t made these experiences in my life and if I hadn’t learned how enriching it is to Be uncomfortable I would probably also be stuck in that safe zone.
Thanks a lot for your comment!
Happy Week.
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No problem. If my words of encouragement aren’t enough then I just refer them to your videos XD
Keep those videos and blog posts coming. Have a great week too. Cheers!
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