How to be happy: 'Don't be conceited'

The top image is a 'daffodil'.
Its flower language is 'conceit'.

The origin of this,
is said to come from Narcissus in Greek mythology, who was so captivated by his own beauty that he fell in love with his reflection in the water.
That is quite a bold flower language.

If you look in the mirror in the morning and think, 'I'm looking good today,' that's healthy.
But once you start getting carried away, it's a danger signal.

I have a way to avoid being conceited.

Work is going well.
My article is being praised.

On days like that, I intentionally start a documentary program about myself in my head.
The music from 'Jounetsu Tairiku' plays, and a deep-voiced narrator speaks.
'From a young age, he possessed something a bit different from the ordinary.'
'With ideas that surprise everyone, he produces results one after another.'
'His challenge has only just begun.'

......

Calm down.
Whose story is this?
I am just an ordinary office worker who had a little bit of success.
Don't be conceited, I tell myself.

Thinking back, I didn't get to where I am today all by myself.
I have family, colleagues at work, a healthy body, and luck has been on my side.

All of those things combined to make today possible.
When you get conceited, you forget that.
You become unable to notice the 'thanks to others' hidden in the 'taken for granted' aspects of daily life.

But when you come to your senses and look around, gratitude naturally arises.
People who can be grateful can learn honestly from others.
People who learn can grow little by little.

I think it's okay to admire your own beauty once in a while.
But that beauty was not created by your own power alone.
A healthy body, the people who raised you, the people who support you.
Various things have combined to make me who I am today.

Once I've finished my basic grooming, I want to spend more time looking at the world around me than looking in the mirror.

I believe that is the way to get closer to happiness.

Books that influenced me in writing this article

'THINK AGAIN' by Adam Grant

Once we succeed, we tend to assume that 'I am right'.
But people who truly continue to grow re-examine their thinking over and over again.

Playing the 'Jounetsu Tairiku' music in your head and rethinking things.
That habit leads to growth, not conceit. (Individual results may vary.)

This is a book that gives you the courage to let go of your assumptions.
I highly recommend it.

I have compiled other flowers that represent 'ways to be happy'
at the link below.
Please take as much as you need 🍀

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