Do your expectations and actions align?

What is happiness? Is it having lots of money? Lots of stuff? The body of your dreams? Of course not. We all know that. But we sure as hell don’t act like it.

If you think losing fat will make you happy, you are in for a bad time. Nothing about being smaller will make you happy. In fact, when chasing an outcome without a proper foundation, we often find the opposite to be true. Why is it that so many people can lose weight yet struggle to maintain it? It’s not physiological.

No, happiness comes from when our expectations align with our actions. When we behave in a way that’s commensurate with our values. When we accept reality and stop feeling entitled to everything. Sounds harsh, but life might just require some sacrifice to get what we want.

Nordic countries are often rated the happiest countries in the world. Taxes are slightly higher than the US, there’s a far lower likelihood of becoming a multimillionaire and passing wealth down for generations, and it’s dark half the year. How could they be happy? While the US rates higher in income than most countries, we fail miserably in almost all other happiness quotients making us 19th on the scale. But while Nordic countries might have to sacrifice some wealth they deliver so much more to each other. Free health care, free university, paid maternal and paternal leave, mandatory paid vacations. It’s almost as if shared responsibility and giving will create greater happiness than selfish individualism.

So what does Nordic happiness and collectivism have to do with fat loss? Well, you might just have to learn that sacrifice and obligation will help you develop the tools in your journey to feel happier and have a greater chance at maintaining your results. Happiness won’t come from fat loss. But if we learn some hard truths about ourselves along the way, learn to accept reality, and stop ignoring our own responsibility to change we will be well on our way to a life of happiness. Fat loss or not.