The Mountain Is You

LEAN INTO THE LITTLE JOYS WHEN YOU FIND THEM
When we think of trying to “enjoy” life, it’s common for 
our minds to jump to trying to achieve things that are 
huge, overwhelming highs. We think that being happy is 
only what happens when we’re on vacation or just landed 
a huge bonus.

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THE MOUNTAIN IS YOU
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BRIANNA WIEST
This, however, is actually the opposite of happiness, be-
cause it’s conditional. True happiness is embracing the 
little joys in life: the sunrise on a warm summer morning, 
your cup of coffee, or an amazing book. It is being grate-
ful not only for when big things happen, but also for the 
small satisfactions that you can find every day.
Most people severely overthink happiness. They assume 
their lives have to be in perfect working order for them 
to experience real joy. This is not so. Real joy is finding 
happiness where you are and how you are.
NURTURE POSITIVE RELATIONSHIPS WHEN YOU HAVE THEM
Regardless of whether or not you are introverted or ex-
troverted, the quality of your relationships determines the 
quality of your life experiences. Tons of research backs 
this up: We become most like the people we spend time 
with, and our happiness is directly correlated with not the 
quantity of relationships we have, but the quality of each 
of them; being lonely is as much of a risk to your health 
as smoking.
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However, what most people interpret this to mean is that 
they should just make friends where they can find them 
and be close to their biological family, even if they dislike 
them. That’s totally missing the point. Happiness is not 
contingent upon you forcing relationships you don’t want 
to be in. It is, however, contingent upon you building and 

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BRIANNA WIEST
fostering relationships with people you really like and 
who add value to your life.
When you meet someone with whom you really have a 
connection, go out of your way to make sure you see that 
person and keep your friendship healthy.