Finding Happiness Through Curiosity

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Have you had periods in life where it’s hard to find happiness? Where nothing really clicks, feels substantial, or resonates with you? I’ve felt that way many times in my life. Regardless of the good things I had going for me, I couldn’t find something to really latch on to that made me truly happy.

If this is you, I’ve got a question to ask: how often do you read?

Becoming a “Reader”

I know I know, an article talking about reading. Just hear me out, though!

Reading was something I always thought just didn’t “click” with me. I tried here and there, but once I was out on my own after high school the only reading I did was the last Harry Potter book (which I knocked out in one sitting!). The multitude of distractions available, even back in 2005 and 2006, were enough to keep me from sitting down and enjoying a book.

Happiness Through Discipline

The problem was discipline – or rather, a lack thereof. I had too much freedom and just wanted to have fun doing all the things I wasn’t able to living under my parents’ roof. That lack of discipline continued until I joined the Air Force, after which my life did a 180-degree turn for the better.

As I came out of service and went back to college, I realized how much I enjoyed learning when I actually applied myself. Textbooks are not engaging reading, though, and studying to get the near-3.8 gpa I had upon graduation had me burned out on literature.

After a few years of working, though, I realized I missed it dearly. I started reading a book that was recommended by my now-5-year accountability partner Jordan at our local real estate investor meetup. That book was The Miracle Morning by Hal Elrod, and it was instrumental in turning my comfortable, average life into a deeply fulfilling, productive life.

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Among other things, the book highlights the importance of reading for even 30 minutes a day. I applied this religiously and burned through so many books that opened my eyes to so many interesting topics and possibilities.

One of the challenges to actually doing this is, of course, finding time.

Find Happiness By Making The Most of Your Time

You may be one of the many people who think that time is just too scarce – that you can barely get in your life responsibilities, let alone find time to sit down and read. Well, I’ve got news for you: I’m married, have 3 kids, and work a full-time job. You know what I have time for? Literally anything I make a priority. I even wrote an article on finding time where it seems impossible because of how finding the time for myself changed my life.

So now I have another question for you: Have you taken inventory of where you spend your free time?.

  • Do you scroll on social media often? Check your screen time on your phone – I bet you’ll be shocked how many hours you put into the internet time wasters every day
    • Try watching YouTube videos on a topic you rotate every month instead!
  • Do you come home after work just to watch Netflix and decompress?
    • Try stopping by the library, Half-Priced Books, or Amazon to pick up a good book on a topic you’re curious about and read for 30 minutes to an hour instead!
  • Do you only listen to music on your commute?
    • Try substituting music for an audiobook on a topic you’re passionate about a few days a week instead!

The point I’m trying to make is that there’s always a way to find time to invest in your personal growth. Try looking at your day to day routines and optimize!

Satisfy Your Curiosity with Nonfiction

Great, you’re on board and want to make a positive change. Let’s get reading! …But wait – what should you read? Great stories of adventure and grandeur? Biographies of incredible people? Guides on how to improve your life with meditation and being present? Romance novels? The science of the cosmos?

See, this is where I recommend focusing on nonfiction, at least when it comes to getting your minimum reading in every day. I’ve personally found that transformation comes from curiosity – but more than that, it comes from taking action to satisfy that curiosity. Here are some things I’ve accomplished over the last few years that I never would have thought, along with just a few of the books that inspired and guided me.

Purchased, rehabbed, and rented out my first rental property
The pursuit of early retirement by accumulating true wealth
Balance and fulfillment in every day of my life
Hitting my goals with fitness, finance, work, and happiness

If you’d told 20-year-old Dave that he’d accomplish these things, you’d have been laughed at. Yet here I am, with all of those accomplishments marked as “complete” and consistently driving for more. See, once you get the seed of a new idea in your mind and you learn more and more, it’s like an addiction. You become curious about everything, and everything consequently becomes more interesting.

Conclusion

All right, another post down! Of course the books listed above are some of the highlights, so definitely take them as recommended reading! If you get started on the path of curiosity and stick with it, I’m positive you’ll have similar or even more amazing accomplishments in your life! Don’t settle for what everyone else is doing, and don’t listen to what companies, social media, and advertisements are telling you to spend your time on. Stay curious!

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So what do you think? Tips on better ways to learn, stay curious, or just make life better? Share your thoughts in the comments!

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David

Father, fitness nut, nerd. True to form, my favorite things in life are my family, my fitness, and optimizing my financial well-being. Oh, and video games.