never live in the thick of thin things. Focus only on your priorities,
those activities which are truly meaningful. Your life will be
uncluttered, rewarding and exceptionally peaceful. This I
promise you.'
"He was right. The moment I started to separate the wheat
from the chaff, harmony filled my life. I stopped living at the
frenetic pace to which I had grown accustomed. I stopped living
my life in the eye of the tornado. Instead, I slowed down and took
the time to smell the proverbial roses."
"What things did you do to cultivate simplicity?"
"I stopped wearing expensive clothes, I kicked my addiction to
six newspapers a day, I stopped needing to be available to everyone
all the time, I became a vegetarian and I ate less. Basically, I
reduced my needs. You see, John, unless you reduce your needs,
you will never be fulfilled. You will always be like that gambler in
Las Vegas, staying at the roulette wheel for 'just one more spin' in
the hope that your lucky number will come up. You will always want
more than you have. How can you ever be happy?"
"But earlier you told me that happiness comes from
achievement. Now you are telling me to reduce my needs and be
content with less. Isn't this a paradox?"
"Excellent point, John. Brilliant in fact. It might seem like a
contradiction, but it isn't. Lifelong happiness does come through
striving to realize your dreams. You are at your best when you are
moving forward. The key is not to make your happiness
contingent on finding that elusive pot of gold at the end of the
rainbow. For example, even though I was a millionaire many times
over, I told myself that success to me meant having three hundred
million dollars in my bank account. This was a recipe for disaster."
"Three hundred million?" I asked in disbelief.