Toothache

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When you wake up with a toothache, you’re miserable. All you want is to NOT have a toothache.

But when you wake up without a toothache, are you full of joy for not having a toothache? Probably not. When you have a toothache you’re a -10, and when you DON’T have a toothache, you’re just a 0.

What a bad deal, huh?

It’s like walking into a casino and playing a game that has no upside and unlimited downside. Would you ever play a game like that? Welcome to being a human. Our brains are programmed to do two things: survive and reproduce. There’s not much concern for happiness.

But we can install an additional program – a program that I call, Gratitude OS. Once we’ve installed Gratitude OS, we can wake up without a toothache, and instead of being at equilibrium, we can actually be a 10. Gratitude OS takes us from 0 to 10, in any category we choose.

Installation is tricky, though. It takes a while for the program to run smoothly, but once it’s fully installed it just runs in the background. As you go through life it’ll be there, always looking for ways to take you from 0 to 10.

By Ryan Paugh

Hi there!

With decades spent exploring the outer world and the inner world, I share some of the insights I have learned along the way.

Topics include mindfulness, spirituality, growth, perspective, and career.

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