Yes. I do.

I've enjoyed life more than ever lately, even though I've had to move back home, sell my car, and am making much less money than I ever was when I had a 9-5 job.

Here's why:

1. I get to work on something I love every day. I love writing. I love getting better at writing. I love the realisations that writing gives me. I love the opportunities it seems to be giving me. I love the feedback I get from it. I love it because I get to do it, not because I'm entitled to do it.
2. I move forward every day. Through writing, through reading, through thinking, through relaxing, through wanting to move forward. Whether it's a tiny step or an enormous step, I move forward.
3. I'm grateful for what I have. I have loving parents who support me. I have people in my life that want the same things as I want. I get to be paid to do something I love doing. I'm grateful for the opportunities that are coming my way. I'm grateful that I just sat here and was able to smile before writing this sentence.
4. I accept myself more every day. This is what happens when you stop judging yourself. Think about how often you judge yourself, how often you talk yourself out of a decision, how often you talk to yourself like you'd never even think about talking to someone else. What does all that accomplish, apart from unhappiness? Acceptance means happiness. What has to happen for you to accept yourself?
5. I understand that I'm separate from the results I get. Some of my writing does well. Some doesn't. That's reality. BUT.... just because a piece of writing doesn't do well, or someone comments on it telling me I'm a bad person that shouldn't be able to live with myself... that doesn't mean I have to take it personally. I do my work, I give a lot to my work... but I'm not my work. I'm separate. I'm more. And so are you.
6. I've stopped comparing myself to others. Katie Birtles is 100% right when she said this is strong cause of unhappiness. I still do this sometimes, but nowhere near as often as I used to. For example, I've been jealous of both Dushka and Deepak Shukla because they've come onto Quora and owned it. Just look at their number of followers. I've been jealous of them and thought "how the fuck are they doing this? Why can't I do that?" Well, they're doing it because they deserve to do it. Just read some of their answers. But it was pointless to be jealous of them for two reasons. One, because if they've got that many followers, then it must be possible for me to get that many followers. So that's good. Two, because I'm not them, and I wouldn't write the answers they write. If I did, it would mean I wasn't being true to myself. And if there's anything that guarantees unhappiness, it's that.
7. I live by my own expectations. My biggest cause of unhappiness years ago was because I lived by the expectations of others, because I felt like I had to live by the expectations of others. Because I thought I had to make them happy. Because I thought they were more important than me, and I thought that I wasn't allowed to be who I really was. So, of course I was unhappy. When I understood why I was unhappy is when I stopped being unhappy.
8. I'm productive. I'm more disciplined, more focussed, more stoic. Instead of indulging in procrastination, I choose to get to work. This has made me enjoy life in a way I never thought I would. Who doesn't feel happy after a productive day?
9. I laugh every day. Whether it's because of my friends, or with my parents, or by watching standup comedy on YouTube, I take responsibility for making sure I laugh every day. How could I be anything other than happy?
10. I have enough. I moved back in with my parents, I sold my car, I have much less money than when I had my 9-5 job... and that's enough. Yes, I want to move out, and I will. Yes, I want a car, and I'll have one. Yes, I want to make more money than I did in my 9-5, and I will. But I don't NEED those things to be happy. If I wasn't happy now, I wouldn't be happy "when." But I am happy now. I'm happier than ever. Because I'm happy with me. Because I have enough, and because I am enough.

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