How to be happy: 'Choosing the long way around'

When autumn arrives, I see bush clover flowers swaying in the gentle breeze.
Their appearance, with many small flowers blooming on thin branches, looks as if they are deep in thought.

The flower language of bush clover is 'deliberation'.

Not rushing to an answer, but stopping to think.
That time is what creates depth in life.

When people start to feel that money alone is not enough,
many try to find 'ways to live more efficiently'.

But in fact, there is a hint in the opposite.

Daring to choose the long way around.

There is a happiness that can only be found there.

The discomfort of the shortest route

Efficiency is important in asset building and work.
・Achieving results in the shortest time
・Eliminating waste
・Making rational decisions

These ways of thinking are considered correct in modern times.

However, if you live with only that as your axis,
a small sense of discomfort will arise somewhere.
・Realizing you have no breathing room
・Time with loved ones is decreasing
・Your heart is not fulfilled

The numbers are growing, but satisfaction is not keeping up.

The reason is simple.

Because happiness cannot be obtained through efficiency alone.

Things that only exist on the long way around

Taking the long way around looks inefficient.

But within it,
it is packed with things that cannot be obtained on the shortest route.
・Chance encounters
・Unexpected discoveries
・Emotions you didn't even know you had

For example, the scenery you found while taking a detour, or
the moment your heart feels lighter during a casual conversation.

These are things you cannot encounter in a life that goes exactly as planned.

Taking the long way around is not just a delay,

but an action that broadens the scope of life.

Flowers that only bloom on detours

When you are taking the long way around, you may feel anxious.

'Is it okay to keep going like this?'
'Couldn't I have proceeded more efficiently?'

At such times, there are words I remember.

Haikyu!! is an anime I really love
because everyone in it is so pure.
There are many famous quotes, and that is one of them.

People you couldn't have met on the shortest route.
Your true feelings that you only realized because you took the long way around.
Relationships that grew because you took the time.

These are all flowers that only bloom on detours.

If you only seek efficiency,
you won't even be able to notice those flowers.

Time for deliberation changes your life

Choosing the long way around also means
not coming to a conclusion immediately.
・Is this really what I want?
・Am I not being swayed by the values of those around me?
・How will I feel about this choice in a few years?

Just by asking these questions, the quality of your choices changes.

This 'time to think' is exactly
the 'deliberation' that is the flower language of the bush clover.

People who deliberate are not swept away by impatience.
They choose their own path at their own pace.

Parts that cannot be filled with money

Asset building is important.
It is essential for creating peace of mind for the future.

However, if you try to build everything in the shortest time,
your present time gets left behind.

These are things that exist outside of efficiency.

But what determines the satisfaction of life
is the accumulation of this kind of time.

Taking the long way around does not convert into money.
However,
it definitely increases 'happiness'.

Summary

Taking the long way around is not a waste.

Taking the long way around is
a choice that cultivates the depth of life.

Don't give an answer immediately, stop for a moment.
Sometimes, try letting go of efficiency.

By moving forward while deliberating, like the bush clover flower,
scenery you couldn't see before will spread out.

If you are currently
feeling that 'money alone is not enough',

please try choosing the long way around, just a little bit.

Along that path,
a flower that only you can find
is surely blooming.

Books that influenced me in writing this article

I have summarized other flowers of 'ways to be happy' in the link below.
Please take as much as you need🍀

Thank you for reading until the end.
I hope to see you again in another article.
🍀May you be happy🍀