The Little Book of Contentment: A Guide to Becoming Happy with Life and Who You Are, While Getting Things Done

by Leo Babauta

One of the most important things I’ve learned in the last 7 years has been how to find contentment.

It’s been a long journey, but I’ve enjoyed it. I struggled with feeling bad about my body, feeling insecure about myself, doubting my abilities to make it without an employer, doubting myself as a writer, not believing I had discipline or the ability to change my habits.

And all this led to other problems: I sought happiness and pleasure in food, beer, shopping, distraction, TV. I procrastinated, I let my health get bad, I smoked, I was deeply in debt, unhappy with my work, never exercised, and ate lots of junk food.

Not a pretty picture. But if I’d never been in that place, I wouldn’t understand how to get out of it. And so I’m grateful I was there. I’ve learned a lot, about myself and about how to find happiness in who I am, what I have, who I’m with, what I do, and all that’s around me.

And now, I’d like to share that with you.

I’ve written a free book called The Little Book of Contentment: A guide to becoming happy with life & who you are, while getting things done. I share it with you today, in hopes that it will help a few of you, or maybe many, who struggle with being happy with yourselves and your lives. It’s a more common problem than you might imagine, and if I can help just a little, that would be amazing.

I hope you like the book.

Genres: Nonfiction, Self Help, Personal Development, Philosophy, Psychology, Personal Growth, Spirituality

112 pages, ebook

First published May 1, 2013

About the author

Leo Babauta is a simplicity blogger and author. He created Zen Habits, a Top 25 blog (according to TIME magazine) with 260,000 subscribers, mnmlist.com, and the best-selling books focus, The Power of Less, and Zen To Done.

Babauta is a former journalist of 18 years, a husband, father of six children, and in 2010 moved from Guam to San Francisco, where he leads a simple life.

He started Zen Habits to chronicle and share what he's learned while changing a number of habits.

Reviews

[Pablo · Rating 1 out of 5]

Nu jergau, jergau.. Taip norėtųsi apie šią knygą atsiliepti kuo gražiau, kaip ją išgyrė daugelis apžvalgininkų ir šios knygos „krikštatėvis" (Debesyla), bet neprisiverčiu meluoti tiek sau, tiek kitiems. Nežinau kas kaltas dėl to, kad ši knyga nesusiskaitė man tinkamai (kaip ir nesusiskaito daugelis „savigudos" tipo knygų. Tarsi turėčiau imunitetą visiems saldiems motyvaciniams žodeliams.
Pats žemiausias mano kada duotas įvertinimas. Tačiau, kodėl?
Pradėkime nuo teigiamosios pusės:
šią knygą perskaičiau. Prisiversdama, bet perskaičiau su visomis užduotėlėmis, tačiau aš perskaitau viską, todėl šį faktą, kaip pliusą negaliu duoti šiai knygai.
+, nes puikiai tiks viltį praradusiems žmonėms, o kitiems - lengvas skaitinukas, kuris užima šie tiek laiko, kurį galėtum skirti kitam dalykui, bet ne per daugiausia;
-, nes tokias pačias mintis aš randu ir socialinėse erdvėse. Tai nėra jokia naujiena, tas pačias mintis galite rasti suvedę "motivational phrases quotes" į pinterest, tumblr paiešką. Kažkaip net pagailo medžių, dėl kurių ši knyga buvo išleista į pasaulį;
-, nes labai prieštarauja gyvenimui agituodamas būti laimingesniu, slopinti pyktį ir panašiai. Mano nuomone, pyk, kada jautiesi piktas, nebūk laimingas, jei šiuo metu nenori būt laimingu. Kas labiausiai suerzino apie šią knygą, - tai laimės, kaip kokio daikto kišimas. Suprantu, tokiame pasaulyje, kaip šis, kuriame vyksta savižudybės, bandymai nusižudyti - svarbu priminti žmonėms apie laimę, tačiau reikia, mano nuomone, suvokti, kad laimė - ne daiktas, o priverstina laimė yra daug blogiau už buvimą nelaimingu;
-, nes šnekama apie dalykus paviršutiniškai ir tada palieka žmogui paspręsti užduotėles ir vėl užvedama kita tema. Mano nuomone, jei autorius tikrai nori išleisti GERĄ knygą, jis turi į problematiką ir sprendimo būdus giliai įsikapstyti ir pateikti daugelį variacijų skirtingiems skaitytojų tipažams;
-, nes knyga nepaliko jokio tiesioginio ir stipraus įspūdžio. Jos tikrai neprisiminsiu po metų, dviejų kalbėdamasi su savo auditorija apie knygas. Ją tiesiog perskaitai, nes tau davė perskaityti ir šie tiek kamavo smalsumas, tada nusivili, nes stebėdama kitus manei, kad knyga yra kažkas wow, aprašai, įvertini atitinkamai ir... tiesiog užmiršti.
Patiks tikrai tiems, kurie su džiaugsmu pasitiko Alex Monaco knygas. Ačiū, Debesyla, už galimybę būti vienai iš pirmųjų perskaičius knygą, tačiau ši knyga man nepatiko. Tikiu, kad ji gali surasti savo atitinkamą auditoriją, bet, atsiprašau, tarp tų žmonių tikrai nebūsiu aš.

[Ugnė Lukošienė · Rating 4 out of 5]

Maža knygelė, bet vertinga. Visiškai taikliai duodami patarimai. Be jokio tempimo, pasakojimų ir nukrypimų. Tikrai puikios mintys. Pateisina, jog ne kiekybėje, o kokybėje esmė.
Yra vietos kaskart rašytis, atsakyti į klausimus. Teorija ir praktika.
Pati čia nerašiau, tad jei kam reik, perleisiu knygelę ;)

[Gabrielė|Kartu su knyga · Rating 3 out of 5]

Iki šiandienos per visą savo gyvenimą dar nebuvau skaičiusi nei vienos saviugdos knygos. Tačiau aš mėgstu išeiti iš savo komforto zonos ir išbandyti dar neatrastus dalykus. Kuomet gavau pasiūlymą perskaityti šią knygą, net nedvejojau 😊👌🏻
Visų pirma, klioviausi autoriaus nurodytomis instrukcijomis ir kuomet dukra užmigo, pasidėjau telefoną į šalį, susirangiau po pledu ir skyriau šiai knygai laiko. Kadangi tai mano pirmoji perskaityta tokio tipo knyga ir neturiu su kuo jos palyginti, tačiau man patiko.
Ši knyga nebuvo tik knyga, tai tuo pačiu ir praktinis vadovėlis. Jame aiškiai ir neperspaustai yra išdėstyta informacija. Buvo be galo įdomu skaityti, nors iš pirmo žvilgsnio gali pasirodyti, jog knygoje nieko naujo nerasi ir visi dalykai yra senai žinomi. Tačiau aš drįsčiau nesutikti, perskaičiau daug įdomių dalykų, apie kuriuos kartais net nesusimąstydavau. Knyga privertė pagalvoti, ir kai kuriais atvejais supratau, jog elgdavausi taip, kaip yra aprašoma keliose situacijose 🙈🙊
Be viso to, autorius moko mylėti save toks koks esi. Nepaisant to, jog sveri penkiais ar net dešimčia kilogramų daugiau, nei norėtum sverti, turi strazdanų ant nosies, ar nepakankamai raumeningą pilvuką. Ir toks tu esi TOBULAS ❤️
Po gimdymo tikrai esu kompleksavusi dėl savo kūno, užsilikusių papildomų kilogramų, ar strijų, kurios puošia mano kūną.
"Pasistenkite pažvelgti į savo kūną (ir veidą) neteisdami. Priimkite jį tokį, koks jis yra, nemąstydami apie tai :" norėčiau, kad jis būtų kitoks". Jis nėra kitoks. Jis yra būtent toks ir jis yra tobula versija. Nėra geresnės versijos".
Be abejo praktinius patarimis galima drąsiai naudoti kasdieniame gyvenime ir artėti mažais žingsneliais prie būsenos, jog jausiesi laimingas dėl to ką TURI dabar, o ne dėl to ką GALĖTUM turėti. ✨

[Rimantė :) · Rating 2 out of 5]

APŽVALGA
Leo Babauta "Ar žinai, kodėl sunku būti laimingu".

Taip, aš irgi skaičiau šią ne visiems džiaugsmo sukėlusią knygą-dovaną. Netgi viena pirmųjų ją laikiau rankose pačio prie leidimo ženkliai prisidėjusio žmogaus namuose. Visgi skaičiau ne popierinę, o elektroninę jos kopija, kuri buvo visur. Tikrai buvo persistengta su jos reklamavimu, bet... visko pasitaiko. Ar galite patikėti, kad vienu metu buvome tikrai milžiniško masto knygų klubas? Tik mėnesio skaitinį išsirinkome ne patys, o mums jį parinko debesyla.lt. Kaip tikrame klube, nuomonių apie knygą irgi buvo visokiausiu. Atėjo metas ir man tarti žodį apie Leo Babautos "Ar žinai, kodėl sunku būti laimingu".

Trumpai, nes apžvalgų apie ją ir taip daug. Ar pasijutau laiminga perskaičiusi? Ne. Ar sužinojau kažką naujo? Manau, kad ne, knyga labiau priminė, ką ir taip jau žinojau apie laimę, paieškas ir jos kūrimą sau. Visgi, šiek tiek pravertė būtent kaip priminimas. Pradžioje, vėliau mintys ėmė kartotis ir pabodo. Atrodo, ne taip seniai perskaičiau, o jau beveik pamiršau, kas joje buvo konkrečiau parašyta. Gerai, kad turiu, tai kai reiks vėl atsiversiu. Užtat dizainas, kai čiupinėjau realią, tai tikrai šaunus. Kai nieko įdomaus negali pasakyti apie turinį, lieka dažniausiai tik dizainą pagirti.

Smagu, kad atsirado, kuriems patiko šios knygelės turinys. Man tai tokia nelabai, įspūdžio nepaliko ir greit užmiršiu visiškai. Neįsimintina. Nei rekomenduosiu, nei nerekomenduosiu ją skaityti.
2/5

[Vanessa · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is a lovely little free e-book from Leo Babauta, the creator of Zen Habits and one of my favourite simplicity/mindfulness bloggers.

I struggle with contentment in various areas of my life, particularly FOMO (Fear Of Missing Out), and Babauta's book has given me some great insights into how to deal with various levels of discontent, including many mini mindfulness exercises. I really enjoyed the re-cap of certain sections at the end, and the inclusion of blog readers' questions in a Q&A section towards the end of the book. It's nice to see real-life examples with advice tailored to them.

If you are interested in self-help books, zen and minimalist living, or are just looking for a little piece of mind, I'd highly recommend Leo Babauta's work. I'll come back to this and read it again but properly in one sitting no doubt.

[Nina · Rating 2 out of 5]

If you have read anything on the subject of contentment before, you will quite likely find this book a bit full of waffle and twaddle. The text repeats itself quite a bit, and most of the action steps boil down to 'noticing how you feel'. The contents of the entire book could be summed up in five words: Stop making yourself feel bad. Well, that's easier said than done, which is why there are so many books available on the topic. Still, there are a few nuggets of gold here, and anyone with a normal reading speed should be able to get through it in an hour, so you may well find it a good investment. Also, I believe the book is free (it's been a while since I downloaded it, but I'm fairly sure I didn't pay for it). Two stars seems a bit harsh, but it does actually mean that the book was ok. And it was.

[Sean Goh · Rating 5 out of 5]

Read. Implement. Enjoy.

Reasons for unhappiness:
not trusting yourself
judging yourself (comparing to unrealistic ideals)

And that way, you can offer yourself to the world and do great works in the world, but not necessarily need that to be happy.
Even if for some reason, your work was taken away from you, you would still have that contentment.
notice your fantasies.

Love your body, all of it, without judgement, unconditionally.
That’s not to say you shouldn’t try to do things that are healthy — eat healthy food, form healthy exercise habits — but you can do those things without thinking that your body sucks. You can accept your body as it is right now and still want to do healthy things out of the joy of doing them, and out of compassion for yourself.

Action steps: Remember this truth: Noticing and appreciating the goodness in anything causes us to be happy about living. And the more we notice and appreciate about our lives (and ourselves), the happier we are.

We judge other people’s flaws, and our own flaws, as “bad” … but what if they’re just a part of being human? Then aren’t the “flaws” a celebration of who we are as humans? Aren’t anger and rudeness and mistakes a part of our beauty as human beings?
we are all learning.

Recognize the fears and worries, and let them go. Relax into this new space of being OK with yourself, being happy on your own, knowing things will always be OK.
Not needing someone’s approval doesn’t mean you don’t want to connect with them.

The desire for approval is causing you pain, and you don’t need that pain.

It’s true that achievement/improvement can be driven by dissatisfaction, but it’s not mandatory.

[Justė Knygu_gurmane · Rating 2 out of 5]

Maža knygutė. Nors sakoma, jog galima perskaityti per kelias valandas, bet aš skaičiau turbūt kokias geras kelias dienas. Niekaip nesugebėjau įveikti vienu prisėdimu. Gal dėl to, kad ji manęs neįtikino.
Kai pavadinime užduodamas toks klausimas, automatiškai tikiesi, jog į jį ne tik bus atsakyta, bet ir bus pagrįsta, kodėl būtent sunku tokiu būti. Gal kitiems tokio pagrindimo nereikia (nes kaip ir taip savaime aišku ), bet man reikia, nes aš iš prigimties esu laimingas žmogus (bent jau save tokia laikau) .
Tad manęs neįtikino. Neįtikino ne tik, kad sunku būti laimingu, bet ir pati knygutė manęs tiesiog neįtikino. Kai skaitai tokios mažos apimties kūrinį, tai yra tik du atsakymai: Arba užkabins kažką viduje, jog patikėsi, arba ne. Tai manęs “neužkabino”. Deja.
Skaitydama pasijaučiau kaip per psichologijos paskaitas. Kai dėstytoja turi išdėstyti savo dalyką ir tą daro, visiškai neatsižvelgdama į tai ar ji sudomino klausytojus ar ne. Tiesiog pateikia informaciją (kažkokią), o jei ko nesupratai ar norėtum pasitikslinti, tai “pasigooglinsi” ir pats susirasi dominančius atsakymus.
"… atpažinkite savo negatyvias mintis arba racionalizacijas apie nenorą veikti ir nekreipkite į jas dėmesio."
Racionalizacijas? Rimtai? O kažkaip žmoniškai parašyti neišėjo?
Beje rašymo stilius nežavi taip pat (ar čia vertėjo neapsižiūrėta?).
"Jei vietoje viso šito sugebėtumėte atrasti pasitenkinimą savo viduje ir jums nereikėtų išorinių laimės šaltinių, turėtumėte patikimą laimės šaltinį. Aš atradau, kad tai kur kas geresnis šaltinis."
Tiek "šaltinių" vienoje vietoje, kad nežinai ir kur dėtis :D

Apibendrinant. Mėgstu aš saviugdos knygas, esu perskaičius jų begales. Bet ši deja labai nuvylė. Tiesa buvo ir gerų minčių, tad už jas ir skiriu vertinimą 2.

[Hestia Istiviani · Rating 3 out of 5]

I read in English but this review is in Bahasa Indonesia

Your relationship with yourself is like your relationship with anyone else.

Membaca ini karena salah satu kolega membagikannya di LinkedIn. Katanya memang betul gratis. Maka aku menelusur ke situsnya dan benar saja, Leo Babauta membagikan buku ini secara gratis. Bisa diunduh berdasarkan format PDF, Kindle, atau ePub.

Untuk versi ePub (aku membaca melalui gawai Kobo Clara HD) hanya 65 halaman saja. Benar-benar bisa dibaca dalam sekali duduk. Apalagi kalau sudah pernah membaca beberapa tulisan mengenai konsep mencintai diri sendiri atau bahkan konsep filsafat stoik.

Buku ini bagiku pribadi tidak menawarkan kebaruan. Semuanya adalah hal yang sudah pernah aku baca (dan beberapa poin sudah aku coba praktikkan sendiri). Tapi bisa saja, buku ini menjadi awalan yang mudah dicerna untuk mereka yang ingin mengetahui bagaimana caranya menjadi content sehingga tidak perlu membanding-bandingkan diri dengan orang lain.

Selepas membaca ini, mungkin ada yang ingin melanjutkan membaca buku-bukunya Haemin Sunim atau Filosofi Teras. Buku-buku yang memang mengajak pembaca untuk melihat secara perlahan terhadap hal yang bisa kita kendalikan.

[Doug · Rating 2 out of 5]

I must say that I was somewhat excited about this little book ... the subject matter, contentment, is a battle that I constantly fight ... and lose. And it infuriates me when all these so-called "teachers" can seem to tell you to do to is just to be content ... what the heck does that mean! And okay smarty-pants, how do you do it!!! So I was so excited about this book that I pushed it ahead of about 10 other books that I had already lined up and waiting in the wings ... I was prepared to be WOW'D!

And then depression set in.

Not only was this a basic rehash of similar books on this topic, with no real new insights into how to attain contentment for those of use who are challenged in this area, but I found the read so dis-jointed that I couldn't concentrate on the message. I had to back-track and re-read the largest portion of the book because I just couldn't get it to make sense the first, or even second, time I read the section or paragraph.

Please know that I have read other of Mr. Babauta's works and am a subscriber to his blog ... but I don't feel that this was anywhere near his standard of work. Thankfully, it was free.

[Mario Tomic · Rating 5 out of 5]

Brilliant book on balancing self-improvement with being content with what you have now. The authors is Leo from ZenHabits and if you've been following his stuff for a while you know he always delivers in value. This book is available for free to download at http://zenhabits.net/little-book/ and it's truly a life changer. The ideas from the book will give you a very clear understanding how to find that happiness with yourself while still working hard to achieving more. I won't go too deep into because it's a very short read and it would a shame if you only read a summary when you can read the entire thing in an hour. HIGHLY recommended!

[Ana · Rating 4 out of 5]

I already knew and liked Leo's writing, so I was not surprised to like this book as well. Some parts of it are a bit too zen for me - such as the "the other person isn't the problem" thing - I guess it will take me several decades to reach this level of detachment - that is, if I will ever reach it (which I seriously doubt). But most of the book is more down to earth and I found a series of good advice in it, as well as several "techniques" that I already use, although I didn't actually realize I was doing it and it is interesting to see it explained by another person.

[Patrick · Rating 5 out of 5]

It is a refreshing summary of quite a few books on the topic of relationships (with others and self). Depending on what you are working on in your life some parts will jump out more than others; for me, it what stood out most were the references to co-dependency, and the book "I'm OK, you're OK".

As a stand-alone book, it is probably a bit superficial (by design), but when combined with other books on the topics touched, it is a priceless asset!

[Maureen · Rating 5 out of 5]

Leo is a life-changer! Even though he writes in the self-help genre he is never preachy, patronizing or annoying. He is on the journey with you, because "we are all learning." There is a lot of good material in this book to guide you on your path to contentment. Much of the content will be familiar if you are a zenhabits follower.

[cellomerl · Rating 5 out of 5]

Every now and then, we all need to get out of our own heads and get over ourselves. Sometimes a little book like this can coach us on how to notice and release our internal judgments, comparisons, ideals, fantasies and expectations.

[Mathew Blackburn · Rating 2 out of 5]

It's the secular version of Buddhism. You're unhappy because you cling to things and vices. Pretty common sense stuff to me, but some people may find it useful.

[Jessi Payne · Rating 5 out of 5]

Outstanding. I loved every page of this book.

Jessi
www.RockStarJessi.com

[Achandra · Rating 3 out of 5]

Bahagia itu apa sih? Setiap orang pasti punya definisi bahagia sesuai dengan versinya masing-masing. Kalo menurutku, hampir sepemikiran dengan yang dikatakan Mark Manson “Happy is simple thing”, karena bahagia akan kita dapatkan ketika kita bisa mengatasi masalah yang datang.

Terus apa bahagia yang disampaikan dari buku ini? Buku ini diawali menyampaikan akar masalah yang membuat kita tidak bahagia. Yaitu ‘rasa tidak puas’ terhadap diri kita sendiri (dan hidup kita).

Terus kenapa manusia itu selalu tidak puas, karena memang itulah sifat manusia. Faktor yang lain lagi karena manusia selalu membandingkan apa yang dimiliki dan apa yang tidak dimiliki. Bahkan membayangkan banyak khayalan dari yang dilihat di media, akhirnya membuat kita terus merasa tidak puas dengan apa yang kita miliki.

Kemudian Babauta menyampaikan pemikirannya melalui chapter yang diberikan judul ‘Puas Tidak Melakukan Apa-Apa’, nahh lhoo gimana maksudnya?? Jadi disini disampaikan kalau anda puas dengan hidup anda kenapa anda tidak berbaring di pantai dan berleha-leha saja.

Sebenarnya yang membuat kita tidak bahagia, karena kita tidak puas dengan diri kita. Itulah kuncinya, dan hampir seluruh manusia di bumi ini itu mencari bahagia lewat sumber eksternal seperti apa?? Makanan, hura-hura, belanja, dan terus menjadi bahagia.

Padahal bahagia itu bukan berbentuk barang, bahagia itu laten dan jelas tidak bisa dilihat. Seperti yg dicontohkan Babauta, ketika seseorang pecandu kopi membeli secangkir kopi dengan harga yang mahal, itu bukanlah kebahagiaan.

Lalu bahagia itu letaknya dimana, bahagia itu ada ketika “Kita memperhatikan dan menghargai kebaikan dalam secangkir kopi” itulah yang akan membuat kita merasa bahagia dengan kehidupan.

[Deago · Rating 3 out of 5]

you can read this book here:

The Little Book of Contentment


Contentment is just an interesting topic. The writer emphasizes the idea that the roots of our problem come from discontent with ourselves. There will always an aspect in our life where we discontent and unhappy about, and the essence of this book really talking about the key problem associated with discontent:

1. an ideal or fantasy we are holding onto
2. Unhappiness with who we are
3. Lack of trust or confidence in ourselves
4. Seeking happiness externally

The writer explains each point in a simple way complete with action steps you could apply in daily life. It would feel repetitive sometimes but it worth reading.

3.5/5

[Karissa · Rating 3 out of 5]

Useful but too simplified. The mind is more intricate than this book makes it seem.
——-

"How do we let go of the fantasies? First by shining the light of awareness on them. Watch ourselves fantasize, realize that it’s happening, realize that we don’t need the fantasies. Be OK with letting them go. Watch reality closely, and recognize life’s awesomeness, as it is, without the fantasies."

"So that’s it: Noticing and appreciating the goodness in a cup of coffee causes us to be happy about living. And the more we notice and appreciate about our lives (and ourselves), the happier we are."

"We are all learning."

[Norm Tresadern · Rating 5 out of 5]

Amazing little book!

Took me longer to readthan the author says because I kept saying to take notes! Great Action steps at the end of each chapter are also at the end of the book for ease of reference so you can put what you've read into practice. I actually felt like I wa getting wiser as I was reading the book! I've already been sharing content with friends, and have made note of certain passages that will be so useful to share at work. Loads of applications and really practical. Thank you Leo! This is your first book I've read, but it won't be the last. 💗

[ashn0d · Rating 3 out of 5]

Very insightful collection of guidelines on how to become happier with yourself and those around you. Although I don't believe they're as easy to implement in your daily life as the author thinks. That said I highly recommend it to anyone that feels overwhelmed with FOMO and the feeling that life isn't fulfilling enough

[Shawn Mcdowell · Rating 4 out of 5]

The Little Book of Contentment

This short ebook is a must read for anyone who truly is wanting to make a real change in themselves. I have learned a lot from this ebook and I am happier for it.

[Ada · Rating 4 out of 5]

Great little read. Helped me to look differently at some things especially how I judge myself harshly. I also realized that I don’t always know I’m being discontent, this book opened my eyes to many ways we express our discontentment.

[Mariner Waterworld · Rating 4 out of 5]

This guide brings you out of the main stream of looking at the next milestone before getting to the previous one, trying to have, get, become, more than you are. It shows how everything you need, you already are; so you can stop pushing your self and start living your life.

[Nancy · Rating 4 out of 5]

There’s a lot of information in this little book that we all need to hear from time to time. As I was reading it I thought of people in my life who struggle with loving themselves, seeing themselves as whole and complete. Instead, they look for others to fill the void and make them happy.

[Libby Dollar · Rating 4 out of 5]

This was a good 1 hour read focused heavily on finding contentment within self instead of from external forces. I appreciated the action items format, and will likely recommend this to a few others who would benefit from it.

[Emily Waterman · Rating 4 out of 5]

A very soothing book! I recommend picking up K. Neff's "Self-Compassion" for a more detailed look at this topic, then listen to this book for another take.

[Pam · Rating 4 out of 5]

Short & sweet little book. This is one I think will be a good reference tool from time to time to remind me to be more kind/patient with myself (and others)

[Sylvia · Rating 4 out of 5]

Light read, enjoyable and essential.