Happiness is having nothing to hide. The more often we act in line with our values, the happier our life turns out to be.
Happiness is when a person has nothing to hide.
When we’re honest both with ourselves and with the people around us, we gradually become a whole, authentic person. Someone like that acts by their own inner standard.
I remember when a young man was attacked by a shark in Egypt, and part of our society celebrated it in a kind of gleeful frenzy. I couldn’t just stay quiet. I started saying publicly on social media that taking joy in someone’s death is not normal.
That’s an example of acting by your inner standard. The more often we act in line with our values, the happier our life turns out to be.
If you live by your own standard, you’ll hear it hundreds of times: “Why not in the state language?”, “How can you possibly support that person?”, “I never thought you’d fail to understand something so simple…” — and plenty of other disappointed remarks from people who don’t know you.
Those voices are worth taking calmly. You’re the one living your life, and you’re the one who wakes up in the morning either happy or disappointed in yourself. That’s your choice.
What matters is not betraying yourself and not compromising your principles, even when it costs you.
When we follow the crowd, it becomes very, very hard to respect ourselves afterwards.
A compromise with yourself carries a very high price.
And when you stay true to yourself and your convictions, a circle gradually forms around you — people who, just like you, want to live freely and follow their own principles.