Happy Fortune Awaits: 7 Simple Steps to Attract Lasting Joy and Abundance
You know that feeling when you’re watching something so unexpectedly good, you just can’t look away? It’s not about grand, expensive spectacles, but about finding genuine, consistent delight in the everyday. I had that exact feeling recently while playing a video game, of all things. It got me thinking: what if we could apply that same principle to our own lives? What if attracting lasting joy and abundance isn’t about one huge, stressful effort, but about a series of simple, enjoyable steps? That’s the core idea here. So, let’s dive in with a few questions I’ve been pondering.
1. Can finding joy really be as simple as not hitting the ‘skip’ button? Absolutely, and this is the foundational step. We’re programmed for efficiency. We skip intros, fast-forward through content, and multitask our way through life. But what are we missing? In NBA 2K25, there’s this in-universe TV show that runs between games. In most sports sims, these segments are “reliably cringeworthy.” My instinct? Skip. Always skip. But this time, I didn’t. The show was “fully animated, voiced, and actually compelling,” featuring hosts who debate league history with a “welcome blend of mirth and analysis.” By not skipping, I found a surprising source of engagement and fun. The first step to attracting your own happy fortune is to stop skipping the small, potentially joyful moments in your own day. Be present. Listen to that colleague’s story, notice the sunset, actually taste your coffee. Don’t fast-forward your life.
2. How does blending ‘mirth and analysis’ lead to abundance? We often separate work (analysis) from play (mirth). This is a mistake. True flow and innovation happen at their intersection. The halftime show hosts in that virtual world “jump around the league to discuss other scores and highlights” not with dry statistics, but with that exact “blend of mirth and analysis.” It’s informative and fun. In your career or personal projects, this is crucial. When you analyze your finances (analysis), can you inject curiosity and playfulness (mirth)? Instead of dreading a budget review, frame it as a strategy game. This shift in energy makes the process sustainable and opens your mind to creative, abundant solutions you’d miss if you were purely grim and analytical.
3. Why is engaging with ‘history’—even in a fun debate—important for future joy? We can’t build a joyful future without understanding our past. The NBA 2K25 show episode where the hosts “debate how to rank the league’s dynasties throughout its history” isn’t just trivia. It’s context. It’s understanding patterns of success and failure. For us, this step is about reflection. Take an evening to debate with yourself (or a friend): what have been your personal “dynasties”—periods of peak joy and abundance? What led to them? What were the “rebuilding years”? This isn’t dwelling; it’s strategic review. By playfully analyzing your history, you identify the conditions that create lasting joy for you, making you far more likely to replicate and attract them again.
4. What can we learn from content that’s ‘fully animated and voiced’? This speaks to commitment and immersion. The game developers didn’t cut corners; they invested resources to make this side content feel alive. For your happy fortune, ask: where am I just going through the motions in 2D, and where can I invest to make an area of my life “fully animated and voiced”? It doesn’t mean spending money. It means full engagement. If your health routine is a silent, grudging chore, “animate” it with great music or a podcast. “Voice” your goals by saying them out loud or sharing them. Half-hearted efforts yield half-hearted results. Joy is attracted to vitality.
5. How do we build our own ‘entertaining in-between’ moments? Life isn’t one big game; it’s what happens in the career mode menus, between the major events. The magic of the show in NBA 2K25 is that it makes the “in-between” actually worth watching. Your “in-between” moments are commutes, chores, lunch breaks. Do you dread them or design them? My step here is to curate these gaps. I turned a 20-minute daily walk into my personal “halftime show.” I listen to a funny, insightful podcast (mirth and analysis, of course). It reframes a gap into a highlight. This daily practice is a simple, non-negotiable step that consistently attracts small doses of joy, which compound into abundance.
6. Is there a risk in all this? What if the ‘show’ is actually cringeworthy? Fair point! The reference admits these shows are often “reliably cringeworthy in games like MLB The Show and Madden.” Not every experiment works. The 6th step is to develop a discerning but open mindset. Try new joyful practices—a new hobby, a new social group, a new morning routine. If it feels authentically “cringeworthy” to you, stop. You have permission to skip that channel. The goal isn’t to force fun; it’s to be a joyful curator of your own experience. Lasting joy comes from a series of small, authentic wins, not from pretending to enjoy something you don’t.
7. Finally, how does this all culminate in the ‘Happy Fortune’ that awaits? By following these steps—being present, blending fun with purpose, learning from your past, fully engaging, beautifying the in-between moments, and curating authentically—you aren’t chasing a single lottery-ticket moment of luck. You are systematically tuning your frequency to one of consistent receptivity. You’re building your own internal “TV network” that broadcasts a compelling, joyful narrative about your life. Just like I now look forward to those animated breaks in the game, you’ll start to look forward to the texture of your own days. The fortune isn’t just financial; it’s an abundance of peace, connection, and genuine laughter. And the beautiful part? It’s already awaiting your attention. You just have to choose not to skip it.