How to be happy (without getting lucky):
Learn your true preferences. Knowing what you dislike tends to be more reliable than what you think you'll like.
Try new things, but always keep a realistic option to quit. If you're on the wrong train, every stop is the wrong stop.
Treat your life as an adventure, not a competition. A good life is a story you're proud of. There's no score.
Happiness is about getting in the flow. For most things, go with intensity over consistency. Balance your life at the macro level, not the micro.
Remove as much accountability from your life as you can. Chose what you want to be responsible for very rigorously.
The best things in life are free, and they're not worth sacrificing for the possibility of the getting the second best things.
As soon as you can afford to, optimize your life for maximum enjoyment. The deferred lifestyle is too risky.
As soon as you can afford to, work on what gives you most energy. Only intrinsic motivation lasts.
Procrastination is information. Don't fight it, embrace it.
Never risk anything you can't tolerate losing. Be very rigorous about what goes in that group.
Decouple your self-worth from anything you don't control.
Understand that the only thing you truly control is your behavior (how you react to things). Live with dignity.
Do not play victim. Do not complain.
Add excitement to your life, not expectations. Happiness is governed by expectations, not outcomes.
