I have written hundreds of thousands of words about mindset, and how it can provide you with hardcore happiness - a long-lasting sense of well-being and satisfaction. If you follow my work, you have noticed that many “happiness concepts” come up repeatedly. I have developed these concepts over time to use with my students and clients, and have listed them here so you can easily refer to them.

Hardcore Happiness

Hardcore happiness is a mindset, very much like the ancient idea of eudaimonia. In Aristotle’s time eudaimonia (literally, “good spirit,” or “ flourishing”) meant living well and doing good; well-being in every sense of the term. More than simple “happiness,” eudaimonia implies that work is necessary to improve yourself and excel in your daily activities. Aristotle believed that eudaimonia was the highest human good, and the only one worth pursuing as an ultimate goal.

The idea has morphed somewhat over the centuries, but Aristotle and I both hold that eudaimonia/hardcore happiness 1) requires mindful, consistent work towards your purpose and 2) is best described as a long-term sense of well-being and satisfaction, as opposed to “hedonic” happiness, which is short-term “fun” and based largely on luck.

This is a nuanced and complex subject that takes more than a few paragraphs in an article to fully explore, (I am in the final editing stages of a book called Hardcore Happiness, which is 80,000 words and over 300 references), but the concept is in no way colloquial or antiquated; there are many scientists and practitioners conducting research in the very active field of positive psychology as we speak.

The remainder of the topics listed here are integral parts of hardcore happiness; steps on the path to well-being and satisfaction in life.

Mindset Matters

Mindset is the lens through which you view the world, and the filter that informs your decisions and actions. Most importantly, you have the ability to choose your mindset, every minute of every day.

When you “set your mind” with intention, you actively choose your intellectual stance and emotional tone. And when you choose your thoughts and emotions, you move from reaction to action. This means you decide how you will feel and act, and are not at the mercy of external situations.

In short, mindset keeps you from being a powerless victim in your own life.

You didn’t sleep well, but had to get up early and go to work anyway? Decide to be grateful that you have a source of income and will be cheerful even though you are temporarily sleep-deprived. You have survived tiredness before.

Your co-worker is loudly voicing toxic opinions about religion/politics/whatever that are really starting to “get under your skin”? Realize how silly it is to let someone else be in charge of your feelings. Who cares what they think? Smile and remove yourself from the situation.

The only way people can make you feel bad is if you let them. Why would you let them?

Remember that even if you have no control of a situation, you are always in charge of how you choose to react.

I invite my students and clients to adopt this phrase that reminds me to choose my best mindset: “Decide that today is going to be a great day.” Write it down and put it someplace where you can see it.

Marcus Aurelius (in Meditations) said, "You always own the option of having no opinion.” Choose to ignore negativity and save your energy for something more important.

Which brings us to the next concept.

Protect Your Peace

Vampires are real. They may not lurk in the darkness and conspire to steal your blood, but they surely conspire to steal your energy. They look like toxic people and difficult workplaces, angry relatives and polluted cities.

Energy vampires are experiences that leave you sad and exhausted, and try to destroy your sense of peace.

If your positive mindset falters (or is pummeled into oblivion), these confrontational/bullying/negative/argumentative encounters can leave you literally drained.

You must protect your peace at all costs. Without it, you are of little use to yourself, let alone anyone else.

Here are three primary safeguards you can use:

First, choose your mindset to be totally resistant to negative people and situations. Realize that their words and actions need not concern you, and let their antics pass you by like water from the back of the proverbial duck. Choose your mindset when you arise, and intentionally reinforce it immediately before entering a potential energy-suck situation.

Second, you almost always have the option to remove yourself from the situation. Just leave. Say (to yourself, if not aloud,) “I choose not to be a part of this.” If the situation is so adverse that it is breaking through your positive mindset, you don’t have to worry about appearances or hurting someone’s feelings.

Lastly, if you frequently feel the need to remove yourself from a situation, you may need to remove the situation from you. Perhaps permanently.

“At all costs” is no joke. To protect your peace at all costs may involve leaving people, including loved ones and family. You may have to change jobs or move to a different city or state.

These are drastic, last-ditch measures to be sure, but all of them are better than the potential loss of your sanity, your health, or your life.

And then there are some situations that are inescapable; that cannot be removed or left.  In these most dire of circumstances, you can still adjust your mindset to realize and accept the most fundamental realities of your existence.

Practical Existentialism

Existential concerns, as the term implies, deal with the fact that we exist. This is another lengthy subject that doesn’t lend itself to the limitations of a simple primer of concepts.

Suffice to say that existentialism concerns itself with the “big” questions of our existence:

Where did we come from?
Why are we here?
Does my life have any meaning?
Where do we go when we die?

And many others.

A great part of the difficulty inherent in these questions lies in the fact that there are no absolute answers. In fact, these topics are what we call unfalsifiable in the parlance of science and statistics, which means we can’t come to a definitive conclusion.

What we are left with, then, is lore and conjecture. No matter what any “authority” figure may promise you, the best we can do in these matters is “hope,” “belief” and “faith.” And this might be enough for you; religion exists for this very reason.

Where else can you turn for answers when you are troubled by questions with no answers?

Remember that you are always in control of your own thoughts and feelings (mindset, again). In this context, I have found it useful to use and teach a concept I call Positive Opposites.

Positive opposites are thoughts that replace negative thoughts. These are not empty affirmations, but real-life positive realities that can subordinate negative thoughts to a place outside of your mindset.

Did you just suffer through a break up? Instead of, “I’m so lonely,” think “I have so much freedom now!”

Have you recently lost a loved one? Think, “I am so lucky that our time on earth overlapped! That is extremely unlikely in the overall scheme of things, and I treasure every moment we had together.”

Are you terrified of your own mortality? Realize that the fact you know nothing about what comes next means it is possible that anything could come next.

Chuang Tzu said, “Just when the caterpillar thought the world was over, it became a butterfly.”

Not sure of why you are here, or what you are supposed to do? In a world where you have no set, predetermined purpose, choose to set your own.

Pursue Purpose

You have the absolute, unalienable right to choose a meaning for your life. Any meaning you so desire.

My advice is to keep two principles in mind:

1) Choose a purpose that is congruent with your higher self; something that you would be proud of and that innately interests you.

And 2) choose a purpose that is aligned with a higher good, that benefits others.

Can you choose to be a murderer or a rapist or a drug addict? Sure. But those choices don’t fit even the most selfish of motives. No one wants to be dependent, institutionalized, incarcerated for life or executed. (And please don’t commit the logical fallacy of thinking that I am implying that drug addiction is a choice. My contention is that addiction is not a choice people would make, even if unavoidable circumstances land them there.) No one benefits from those kind of choices.

Choose the highest good of which you can conceive, one that is aligned with what makes you feel good and makes sense to you. This will ensure that you pursue your purpose, even when the going gets tough.

Choose a purpose that serves something greater than yourself. This will ensure that your purpose will sustain you, even when the going gets tough.

A sense of purpose is a powerful weapon against problems with physical and mental health and helps with anxiety and depression. It is also a source of gratitude, even on dark days. This is important, because as I pass on to students and clients, Gratitude Defeats Despair.

A great deal of happiness can be actualized in a simple concept. Your emotions are a powerful compass as to whether or not you are on your “right” path. Do what feels right; what you instinctively know to be correct.

Do the Right Thing

This is not a deep philosophical paradigm. Just do what you know to be the right thing. Forget peer pressure and social media trends and others’ remonstrations. Decide what you - in your most authentic heart - know to be the right thing, and don’t deviate from it.

Be kind, don’t gossip, etc. You know, basic social deontology. Set your parameters for what you believe is a good way to behave, and don’t let yourself be swayed from them.

This course of action is a part of mindset, will contribute to your eudaimonic happiness and well-being, is a valid part of your personal purpose and will pay massive dividends in the gratitude department. I try to sum all that up in a simple reminder phrase: Be a Good Person.

Happiness Concepts

Once you have chosen your mindset and purpose, protected your peace and committed to doing the right thing, I present one other concept for you to consider.

Kant would have called this last piece a categorical imperative; it must be followed in all circumstances and situations. It is self-explanatory, and is my highest wish for you:

Never Give Up. Never Give In. Never Settle.



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To learn more about how to use these concepts or to inquire about working with me, you can contact me on the Hardcore Happiness website, the comments section on my Substack or Medium accounts or the Hardcore Happiness blog page. If you have found value in this article, follow my Instagram account for daily insights, or my X account for occasional tweets. To support this community, you can Buy Me A Coffee or donate through my Patreon account.

- JWW