Hugh Howey

Bestselling author of Wool and other books. Currently sailing around the world.

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Plan Ahead for Happiness

This one’s for high school students. With a bit of planning, you can reap enormous rewards in mental well-being that will reverberate for decades. The steps are simple:

  1. Purchase a pair of jeans that are three to four sizes too large.
  2. Wear said jeans around school for a few weeks (suspenders may be required).
  3. Upon graduation, pack away said jeans with other mementos (yearbooks, diploma).
  4. Twenty years later — on the verge of turning 40 — rediscover said jeans, try them on, and marvel at the fit!
  5. Brag to spouse.

You’re welcome.

9 replies to “Plan Ahead for Happiness”

A friend once told me his high school counselor said to him that he should be enjoying himself because high school was going to “be the best years of your life.” He said he thought to himself, if these are the best years of my life, I’d better put a gun to my head and pull the trigger. Note to high schoolers: it gets better.

But at least you came up with something useful to do in high school.

If I could talk to myself thirty years ago my advice would be…
1. Get a civil service job and do thirty years while saving ten percent. You will be a millionaire by age 50. It’s 35 hours a week, plenty of time for your hobbies.
2. Nothing good will ever happen in a bar
3. Give up tv as soon as Jetflicks.mobi gets invented.
4. Put out little books the first day the kindle allows you to.
5. Don’t chase after women, you will never catch on. remember your motto “If at first you don’t succeed, give up, there is no point being a damn fool about it”.

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