The secret to enjoying life might lie in simply “doing less”. Businessman Harsh Goenka made a compelling case for slowing down on Friday — insisting that genuinely happy people were those who spent their time ‘peacefully’ enjoying every moment. The remarks also came as a refreshing contrast amid calls for people to work 90-hour work weeks and ‘hustle’ harder.
“People who are genuinely happy aren’t doing more. They’re doing less. Fewer goals. Fewer meetings. Fewer obligations. They’ve mastered addition by subtraction. While you’re optimizing every minute, they’re sipping coffee on the porch. Busy is a choice. Peace is too. One looks successful. The other actually is,” Goenka reminded.
The post has since garnered hundreds of ‘likes’ and comments — with many voicing their agreement with Goenka. Others jibed that their jobs and bosses were getting in the way of this philosophy. Some in the comment section also noted that there was often joy and purpose to be found “in the motion itself”.
“Love this! It’s so true. Sometimes just chilling and enjoying the little things is what makes us truly happy. We need to remind ourselves it’s okay to slow down and savor life,” wrote one X user.
“Most people miss this because they’re too busy adding. One more goal, one more commitment, one more thing to prove they matter. But the person sitting peacefully with their coffee has already figured out that everything unnecessary was holding them back. The difference isn’t in doing more, it’s in knowing what actually matters,” agreed another.
“True, peace matters. But some of us find joy in the motion itself. Not all busy ness is emptiness. For some, purpose lives in the doing, in building, in striving. Stillness and action aren’t really opposite. They’re just different seasons we move through,” countered a third.