In 1922, Albert Einstein was at the Imperial Hotel in Tokyo, where he was on a lecture tour and had recently learned that he had won the Nobel Prize in physics. The award recognized his contributions to Theoretical Physics.
When a bellboy delivered a message to the physicist, he fished in his pocket for some change to tip him and came up empty. Instead, Einstein offered a tip in the form of his theory on how to have a happy life. So he just wrote down a theory of happiness and gave it to the young man.
What he said in the message was this: "A calm and modest life brings more happiness than the constant pursuit of success combined with constant restlessness." He wrote this message in German on a piece of hotel stationery.
On a second sheet, he wrote, "Where there's a will, there's a way."
Einstein told the bellboy, according to the auction house, that if he was lucky, the notes might become more valuable than a regular tip. His words, befitting a man who had transformed our comprehension of the universe, were prophetic.
In 2017, Einstein’s theory of happiness was sold by Winner’s Auctions and Exhibition, based in Jerusalem, for $1.56 million, adding him to the pantheon of the world’s most generous tippers.
The identity of the seller, who is European, has not been revealed. (The second note sold for $250,000 according to the auction house.)
Albert Einstein himself, arguably the smartest man who ever lived says that a peaceful mind and a peaceful life is the key to happiness. This goes against many of our ideas about happiness in our society. Our society constantly tells us that we have to get this and get that and strive if we want to be happy.
I think the logic behind Einstein’s note is the fact that in most cases if not all cases – the joy of actually achieving your goal of getting the thing you want, only lasts a very short period of time and you soon find yourself back at square one in terms of how much life satisfaction you feel. The only thing that kept you going through this process was the cravings for that goal or thing you wanted back when you started but by the time you actually manifested it– the accumulated stress and hard work were not actually worth the short burst of endorphins you got after accomplishing it.
But I will explain quickly, with a metaphor, why Einstein is totally correct.
Say you wanted these new shoes. These new Jordans. You craved these shoes. You needed them. And you started comparing your old shoes to these jordans. You started seeing everybody with them. You were miserable. And then, one day you finally got them and you were so happy. Now the question is: Did the new jordans made you happy or was it the release from the craving of the jordans that made you happy? Indeed it was the release. There's nothing in jordans that can make you happy.
We often think that these Shoes, Awards or Accolades can make us happy but Actor Jim Carrey said that "I wish that everybody could be rich and famous so that they can see for themselves that that's not the answer"
So let's take note of the wisdom from the great Albert Einstein and try to live a calm and modest life.
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