The Happy List
"Happiness ≥ Your perception of the events of your life – your expectations of how life should behave." Mo Gawdat
That line might sound a little weird at first—but it’s pretty smart if you think about it. Try working the equation backwards to get to happy. (Unfair hint: zero expectations of how life should behave + a positive perception of events = happy.)
According to Gawdat, happiness isn’t something you earn or unlock. It’s something you return to. It’s about the mindset of seeing and counting rainbows, not thunderstorms. (Well… unless thunderstorms make you happy.)
One surprisingly simple hack to return to happy? A Happy List.
What’s a Happy List?
It’s not your bucket list. Not a vision board. Not a highlight reel.
It’s a list of ordinary, personal joys that remind you life isn’t broken—it’s actually bursting with beauty.
Its simple things like… the feeling after a great run.
The smell right before it rains—or of a truly outstanding cup of coffee.
Or the sound when you ping the golf ball just perfectly.
The Happy List is about: Noticing. Naming. Reconnecting to what makes you happy.
Why It Works (and Why You Need One)
Most sadness, stress and suffering comes from resisting reality—trying to control life and demanding it follow “our script.”
But the Happy List is not about asking life to change. It’s about acknowledging the things it already delivered—quietly, generously, without fanfare. It’s akin to gratitude, but it’s different.
It’s about noticing and reconnecting with what makes you smile. It rewires your mind to stop scanning for what’s missing and start recognizing what’s already present.
It’s gratitude in motion. And it’s powerful.
How to Make Your List
Start today. Open a note on your phone, grab a napkin, or pull out a journal.
List a least 10 things—big or small—that genuinely make you feel happy or peaceful.
Be specific. Not just “music,” but that one Fleetwood Mac song on a road trip.
Revisit often. Add to it. Read it when life feels heavy. Let it remind you.
Ask the ones you love. What’s their Happy List? You might be surprised by what you find.
The point isn’t the list. The point is the noticing.
Mo Gawdat argues that happiness is our default state. The problem is, we keep getting in our own way.
A Happy List gently guides us back—past the noise, the goals, the unrealistic expectations—to a life that’s been quietly waiting for us to pay attention. It may sound cheesy at first but you’d be surprised of the power it packs.
Humor me… Just try it. Make the list and Notice the joy—one small thing at a time. You’ll be amazed at what it teaches you and you’ll have a tool or action list to come back to when you feel yourself lacking a little joy 😉
Notes that Resonated
Before you try to increase your will power try to decrease your friction instead
Don’t worry about progressing too slowly worry about climbing the wrong mountain
Your goals mean nothing to you if your habits stay the same
In a marriage I change me, I change we
The most dangerous person in the room is the one no one sees coming
Serve, inspire, and lead by example
Thriving is not an end state—it is a continuous journey. Everything comes from what you put first
Always do 10% more than you are asked
the way you behave will always dictate results
Make the day; don’t let the day make you.
Be anxious for nothing
Things to read
Videos to watch
Top Quotes
Count your rainbows not your thunderstorms- Alyssa Knight
The measure of intelligence is the ability to change. -Albert Einstein
Food & Drink
Mocktails/ shaken iced teas