E2: Happiness, Meditation & Weird Wins
Host Stephen Bartlett shares personal diary entries, exploring the pursuit of happiness over fleeting pleasure, navigating team departures, the moral complexities of philanthropy, the power of embracing 'weird' actions, and the value of meditation for presence.
Deep Dive Analysis
16 Topic Outline
The Power of Authenticity in Storytelling
Podcast Reaching Number One
Re-evaluating Materialistic Goals and Purpose
Differentiating Pleasure from Happiness
The Role of Gratitude in Achieving Happiness
Managing Employee Departures and Company Culture
The Challenge of Letting Employees Go
Forgiveness and Releasing Resentment
The Moral Dilemma of Entrepreneurship vs. Philanthropy
Prioritizing Self-Development for Greater Impact
Embracing Unusual Actions for Extraordinary Results
The Importance of Struggling on Purpose for Growth
Overcoming Skepticism Towards Meditation
Finding Peace by Living in the Present
Relationship Update and Personal Challenges
Distinguishing Between Feeling Lonely and a Lonely Experience
5 Key Concepts
Pleasure vs. Happiness
Pleasure is a short-lived, fleeting sensation often tied to acquiring new things, similar to an addiction requiring increasing doses. Happiness, in contrast, is a constant feeling of contentment and fulfillment derived from gratitude for what one already possesses.
Hedonistic Adaptation
This is the human tendency to quickly adapt to new possessions or achievements, leading to boredom and a continuous pursuit of bigger, better, or shinier things, never reaching a true end point of satisfaction.
Company Culture, Values, and Objectives
These are the non-negotiable foundational elements of a business. Compromising them to suit individuals means they lose their definition and become pointless, disrespecting those who have bought into them.
Forgiveness
Forgiveness is described as the act of letting go of a 'prisoner,' only to realize that the prisoner was oneself, burdened by resentment, grudges, and negative feelings. Releasing these allows for personal peace.
Living in the Present
This concept suggests that peace is found by focusing on the current moment, whereas depression is linked to dwelling on the past and anxiety to worrying about the future. Meditation is presented as a tool to achieve this state.
9 Questions Answered
Pleasure is short-lived and fleeting, often linked to external attainments, while happiness is a constant feeling of contentment and fulfillment that comes from within.
Happiness comes from a perspective of gratitude for who you already are, what you already own, and the people you already have around you, rather than wanting for something in the future.
A CEO should not take it personally, understand that not everyone will suit the company's non-negotiable culture, values, and objectives, and support their next journey with gratitude.
It's the CEO's job to protect the company and its people, and making tough short-term decisions can prevent even tougher long-term consequences like the company failing or its culture being destroyed.
The speaker believes that developing oneself, building skills, and gaining influence first can lead to a much greater philanthropic impact later in life, using Bill Gates as an example.
Extraordinary results are reserved for those who take exceptional or unusual actions, rather than conforming to ordinary behaviors.
Just like muscle fibers, human beings only grow when they endure struggle, stress, or pain, making it the only place for true development.
Meditation can help individuals, especially those with busy minds, to be more present, reducing anxiety about the future and allowing for a sense of peace.
Being a CEO is a lonely experience because much of the work is done independently, but this does not necessarily mean the individual feels lonely; they can still feel content and happy.
14 Actionable Insights
1. Prioritize Happiness Over Pleasure
Recognize that money and material possessions provide fleeting pleasure, not lasting happiness. True happiness is a constant feeling of contentment and fulfillment, not dependent on future attainment.
2. Practice Daily Gratitude
Attain happiness by cultivating a grateful perspective for who you are, what you own, and the people around you right now, as you cannot be grateful and wanting at the same time.
3. Gratitude Fuels Growth
Actively practicing gratitude for what you currently possess, whether money or relationships, will lead to their growth because you will appreciate, save, invest, and nurture them more effectively.
4. Forgive to Free Yourself
Practice forgiveness by letting go of negativity, resentment, and grudges towards others or situations, as these feelings only weigh you down and prevent your own peace.
5. Embrace Difficult Short-Term Choices
As a leader, make courageous, tough short-term decisions to protect the company and its team, preventing even harder, long-term consequences like the company’s failure.
6. Develop Yourself to Help Others
Focus on developing your own skills, understanding, and influence first, as this will better position you to make a significant positive impact on the world and help a larger number of people later.
7. Embrace “Weird” Actions
Do not shy away from unusual or ‘weird’ actions, even if others judge you, because operating differently is what leads to exceptional and unique results that conformists cannot achieve.
8. Seek Intentional Struggle
Actively embrace and endure struggle, stress, and pain on purpose, as it is the only way for humans to grow and achieve significant accomplishments, much like muscle development.
9. Meditate to Be Present
Practice meditation to bring your mind to the present moment, especially if you’re prone to anxiety about the future or dwelling on the past, as being present is key to finding peace.
10. Practice Present Moment Awareness
When your mind wanders to the past or future, consciously bring your attention back to a simple sensory experience in the present, like observing leaves or feeling the wind, to achieve peace.
11. Be Authentic in Storytelling
When sharing your story, be authentic, honest, and show your ‘second dimension’ (unfiltered reality) because it resonates powerfully with others who also have that dimension in their lives.
12. Release Control, Avoid Resentment
When people leave your business or life, avoid trying to control the situation or holding resentment, as this will only lead to personal struggle and prevent you from finding peace.
13. Uphold Business Culture & Values
Do not compromise your company’s core culture, values, and objectives to suit individuals, as these are foundational elements that define your business and ensure its integrity.
14. Cultivate Self-Sufficiency in Happiness
Strive to be happy and content on your own, as this self-sufficiency makes you a more stable partner in relationships, not seeking others to fulfill your happiness.
7 Key Quotes
Forgiveness is letting a prisoner go and in doing so realizing that the prisoner was you the whole time.
Stephen Bartlett
If you are depressed you are living in the past if you are anxious you are living in the future if you are at peace you are living in the present.
Lao Tzu (quoted by Stephen Bartlett)
Nobody listening to this podcast right now actually wants to be a millionaire... What we want is what we believe those things are gonna do for us.
Stephen Bartlett
Embrace weirdness and unusual actions because weird wins. You're probably not going to get extraordinary results from conforming to the ordinary.
Stephen Bartlett
In order to help other people you must first or it's at least easier to first help yourself.
Stephen Bartlett
Being an entrepreneur and a CEO is lonely because there's so much of it you do on your own. It's not a lonely feeling I have, I don't feel lonely, I feel so happy.
Stephen Bartlett
The best view comes after the hardest climb.
Stephen Bartlett
1 Protocols
Attaining Happiness
Stephen Bartlett- Adopt a grateful perspective on who you already are, what you already own, and the people you already have around you.
- Decide to be grateful for everything you have now, no matter how little or much.
- Consciously make an effort to be grateful for what you have now.