Happiness is strongly tied to our willingness to accept the things we can’t control or change.

Don’t focus on what you don’t have or how your life isn’t exactly the way you want it to be. That’s like waiting to be happy in a future that never arrives.

Do what you can to shape your life the way you want it, but also learn to accept more of what happens. Have fewer preferences. Few things happen exactly the way we want them to.

What matters most is our ability to find satisfaction in everyday life. It’s found in our routines, the environments we live and work in, and the people we spend time with.

Those aren’t perfect either, but we can find more satisfaction there than in possessions, lofty goals, or an endless pursuit of pleasure or excitement.