Ten Steps Towards Happiness

Pieter Hintjens, the creator of ZeroMQ, wrote a personal essay on happiness that resonates with engineers who value autonomy, craftsmanship, and community. The post outlines ten steps to improve one's well-being, grounded in the idea that happiness is an active practice rather than a passive state.

1. Invest in your senses

Feed your body and mind with quality inputs: cook good food, take beautiful photos, play music, wear comfortable clothes, and walk through the city at night. Engage all your senses to feel the texture of life.

2. Do things you are bad at

Learning keeps you alive. Challenge yourself with juggling, breath-holding, solving a Rubik's cube, playing an instrument, or drawing. The process of learning itself is the reward.

3. Enjoy other people

Nothing makes us happier than other people. Talk to strangers, smile, be nice. If you live far from others, move closer. If you drive a lot, walk or cycle instead. Mingle.

4. Be part of bigger things

Join communities and projects, or start your own. Even small contributions matter. Being part of something larger gives you a sense of value and belonging.

5. Finish your projects

A sense of achievement builds hope and confidence. Write down your accomplishments, big and small, and keep the list updated. Finish what you start, then move on.

6. Get rid of bad actors

Some people are sources of misery. Learn to recognize them (Hintjens wrote a whole guide on psychopaths) and remove them from your life. Make it a project and finish it.

7. Ground your emotions

Deal with negative emotions like anger, self-pity, jealousy, fear, and loneliness. Set them aside to let happiness in. If you drink to relax, stop.

8. Revalue your time

Stop wasting time on commuting, boring jobs, meetings, TV. Do only what you find worthwhile, with people you like. If that means a pay cut, so be it. We all die.

9. Travel light

Material possessions are often a burden. Give away or sell anything that doesn't make you happy. Own less, not more.

10. Want nothing, accept everything

Explore the world without desire or demand. Be tolerant of whatever happens. When you want nothing, you cannot be disappointed. When you accept everything, you see beauty in every moment.