Fitness and health are not only about how much weight you can lift or how many reps you can do on the leg press. Fitness is also about your mindset. Once you have the right mindset, you will be unstoppable.

Think back to the last time you spent a lot of money on something that you thought would make you happy; you bought a new TV, an expensive dinner or a front-row seat.

Maybe that did make you happy. For a while. But no surprise if the pleasure was short-lived. If these moments weren’t among the pictures you post on Instagram you’d barely remember them at all.

Jonathan Goodman says we spend a disproportionate amount of time focusing on that future acquisition because we overestimate how happy it will make us.

Meanwhile we underestimate how much the most mundane aspects of our lives affect our happiness. We forget how much we enjoy a good burger until we bite into one. We forget how much we hate getting stuck in traffic until it happens unexpectedly. It’s nearly impossible to predict how much anything will affect our lives, in either direction.

The best defense against unhappiness is to open yourself up to joy, to allow yourself to be blown away by the beauty of a garden or stand in awe of a natural landmark… and never underestimate the power of a hug.

You’ll never regret the time you don’t spend chasing those shiny, pretty, expensive things.

Quote of the week:

Most of my anxieties and frustrations are sorted by going for a walk every morning. Best of all, it’s free.