7 Rules of Happy Life Everyone Ignores Because of Capitalism

Most life seems unfair to you because you focus only on the rules of capitalism. Instead, start focusing on life itself.

A few days ago, I read an article on Medium written by Thomas Oppong 7 Uncomfortable Rules of Life Everyone Knows, But Only a Few Follow and I got inspired. The reason I got inspired is that all the rules of life presented in this article described the rules of capitalism. For that reason, I decided to write an article about life excluding the rules of capitalism.

I know, many of us play by the rules of capitalism which slowly sucks our inner lives, our authentic self, and leaves us unhappy, frustrated, and angry. I was one of them.

The rules are work, hustle, competition, the chase after the money, power, prestige, or climb the ladder. We do this charade almost our entire life. No wonder, this kind of life burns us out and leaves us exhausted, angry, and unhappy.

I know already only a few can win the game of capitalism. So, I decided to quit playing a game and instead focus on the rules of life.

Life isn’t a competition

Life is life, not some competition like we are told by capitalists. No, life doesn’t care about your ambition, career, achieving degrees, or finding your perfect partner. All of those are illusions. If you chase those false illusions, you will end up unhappy and empty. I have done it. The result: emptiness. So, I left the game.

Now, I am on a quest to learn how to be me and how to live sustainably, without consumerism. Also, when it comes to finding a perfect life partner, I am showing my vulnerability and myself. I don’t want to wear a mask and my husband knows it. Sometimes he loves it and sometimes he hates it. And he does the same.

Focus on your talents not on acquiring skills

In the past, I put all my attention to acquiring many different skills, certificates. I always thought achieving marketable skills, would enable me to make money and it did but all those skills prepared me for another boring job. Now, I focus on my talents and what I am good at.

Stop focusing on your career

In 2020 career chasing is a dead end. Most of the jobs today are temporary, gigs, or freelance. Yes, you may start a business, but you must be full in 100 percent. Focusing on a career will eat half of your life, you may be satisfied, but most likely you won’t.

Statistics on job satisfaction rates suggest that less than half of workers are happy with their current careers. People who are happy with their careers are those who are in the creative sector.

Don’t focus on the numbers

Chasing the numbers and the money is counterproductive. As the writer Zena Hitz in the new book The Lost in Thought describes:

“If I work for the sake of money, spend money on the necessities for life, and organize my life around working, then my life is a pointless spiral of work for the sake of work. Those activities aren’t worthwhile unless they cumulate something satisfying.”

chasing the millions won’t satisfy you because then you will desire more.

I am not suggesting, not to work. But if you work, do it with some kind of balance: Don’t make your work-life, the only life. Work should be about being in the moment and enjoying it.

I am not working at the moment but if I need to, I would go back into nursing (private duty nursing not the admin one) and work part-time, again. This way I can still earn enough to live off of and have my freedom where I can still continue in creative pursuits.

Invite serendipity into your life

I stopped planning my life in detail because things seem to change. Instead, I have invited serendipity into my life and who knows what may happen. I am continuing to work on my creativity and left my door of life open to let the opportunities come in. Sometimes leaving life to flow is the best plan.

Stop being consumerist

Two years ago, I decided to lead a sustainable life, leaving consumerism behind. Today, I can report that I am happier, calmer, and feel freer. The constant shop until you drop isn’t making anyone happy. You buy something, you like it for a few days and then you want something else. This way, the cycle repeats itself. Instead, I focused on saving and living without unnecessary stuff.

Start loving yourself by having time for leisure

When you start loving yourself, you value your free time the most, not the amount of money you have as Zina Hintz writes further:

For Aristotle, the only contemplation-the activity of seeing and understanding and savoring the world as it is could be the ultimate satisfying use of leisure.

When you have enough free time you can focus on your hobbies, dreams, and learning which will make your life happier and more fulfilled at least it does mine.