657-We Are Not Bound to a Sisyphean Life

Does life ever feel boring, repetitive, and tedious? We are not bound to a Sisyphean life; tune in to find out why!

 

Transcript:

 

Welcome to Everyday Happiness, where we create lasting happiness, in about 2 minutes a day,  through my signature method of Intentional Margins® (creating harmony between your to-dos and your priorities), happiness science, and musings about life. 

 

I'm your host Katie Jefcoat, and do you ever get the feeling that everything is futile? You do the dishes to have another sink full of dishes the next day. You wash the laundry to have another three loads to do by the end of the week. You go to work every single day, just to have to do it again and again for decades on end. When life is phrased in a Sisyphean nature, it can seem beyond tedious, but my favorite happiness scientist, Arthur Brooks, disagrees.

 

As a quick note, the word “Sisyphean” refers to Sisyphus, the king from Greek mythology who angered the gods by cheating death and got sentenced an eternal life in the underworld to push a boulder up a hill, to have it roll back down and need to start over again. Therefore, any task combining struggle, stress, boredom, and futility can be categorized as “Sisyphean.”

 

As I mentioned, many tasks in life may feel Sisyphean in nature, which can be frustrating. However, in an article published in the Atlantic, Brooks takes inspiration from Albert Camus, a philosopher and creator of absurdism. Camus challenges people to redefine Sisyphus as being happy, which completely warps the idea that daily struggles are tedious.

 

Camus cites that people experience true joy and happiness even though they lead Sisyphean lives filled with monotony and struggle. Brooks quotes, “Even Sisyphus was happy, according to Camus, because ‘the struggle itself toward the heights is enough to fill a man’s heart.’ Simply put, he had something to keep him busy.”

 

So, what does this mean? Rather than falling into the trap of a futility mindset, embracing each moment for what it is will serve you better. We should laugh as we complete little daily tasks and be happy in spite of them. By embracing a mindset shift, we can redefine the moments that bug us the most into something positive and fulfilling.

 

Rather than washing the dishes because they are dirty, you are washing dishes to achieve a beautiful home. Rather than doing laundry again, you are providing your children with their favorite clothes. Rather than going to work every day, you are providing yourself with the core necessities of life AND creating opportunities to do something you love. Be fully present in what you are doing and just relax into it.

 

Plus, Brooks suggests looking for little opportunities to do good. While we can’t influence wars and natural disasters, we can do acts of kindness for others that will bring both them and ourselves happiness. Remember, kindness is contagious. 

 

Life is heavy enough, we shouldn’t have to search for happiness.  Get the exclusive happiness email, delivered with a smile twice a month to your inbox. https://www.katiejefcoat.com/email 

 

And, let’s connect on social at @everydayhappinesswithkatie  and join the community on the hashtags #IntentionalMargins and #everydayhappinesswithkatie on Instagram

 

Links:  https://onamission.bio/everydayhappiness/

 

Inspired by this article

• https://www.theatlantic.com/family/archive/2023/03/finding-joy-happiness-in-absurd-boredom-stress/673248/