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048 | The Happy Philosopher | The Happiest Man In The Room

In this podcast we discussion the pursuit of happiness with Jeff from The Happy Philosopher including how he reached a burn out point in his job as a radiologist and how his focus on happiness helped him find a path forward.

Podcast Episode Summary

  • A discussion with Jeff from The Happy Philosopher
  • An introduction to Jeff’s background story
  • Jeff found himself burned out about four years into his full-time profession and he was stressed out and anxious and just not happy
  • He reached a breaking point where he discussed with his wife his plan for five more years of work
  • He had shortened his “prison sentence” but hadn’t made his “cell any more comfortable” (we discussed suicide in the episode and Jeff asked that we include a phone number for the National Suicide Prevention Lifeline)
  • He couldn’t wait five years to be happy – he had to experiment now to find that happiness
  • Was there something about his job that led him to this breaking point or was it that he hadn’t found what made him happy?
  • Early Retirement Extreme was mind-blowing for him intellectually and led him to FI
  • How medical professionals can feel “trapped” in their job because of sunk costs
  • Did Jeff experience lifestyle inflation once he became a full-time physician?
  • What did Jeff’s path out of burnout look like?
  • How Jeff’s consumption of news led to much of his stress
  • What else has Jeff cut out of his life?
  • Happiness through subtraction
  • Decluttering and getting rid of the negatives in your life
  • Cutting down on commitments that aren’t necessary in our jobs and lives
  • How Jeff pursued a job sharing part-time work during his peak earning years
  • The Marginal Utility of Money and how your spending impacts your happiness
  • The concept of trading your time for money
  • How does Jeff approach how to spend money in his own life?
  • The concept of utility versus value
  • The importance of gratitude and how happiness is a skill
  • Make a conscious decision to place a space between stimulus and response
  • Hot Seat Questions
  • Jeff suggests you experiment with cutting out alcohol entirely from your life for a set period of time as an experiment (Jeff also wanted us to mention:  “Anyone who is a heavy drinker should probably consult with a doctor or someone familiar with alcoholism and alcohol withdrawal before quitting cold turkey.”)

Listen to Brad and Jonathan’s thoughts about this episode here.

Books Mentioned in the Show:

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