The Happiness Equation: Want Nothing + Do Anything = Have Everything

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“Ninety-seven percent of lung cancer patients are smokers and ninety-seven percent of smokers never get lung cancer.”

Extra Calcium and Vitamin D Aren’t Necessary.”

The headline caught my eye as I was clicking through the “Most Emailed” section of The New York Times. I read how the Institute of Medicine, an independent nonprofit run by US and Canadian governments, had studied more than a thousand publications and come to this conclusion. I suddenly felt better about myself. I wasn’t taking any extra calcium or vitamin D. No need to start now.

I then clicked over to the Toronto Star’s website and surfed around a bit there.

A headline caught my eye.

“Go on the Offense and Get Your Vitamin D.”

Another study, another article, completely opposite advice.

Two of the world’s largest newspapers, two big brands, two front-page articles, both giving the exact opposite advice.

What am I supposed to do now?

I suddenly got worried.

What if all advice conflicts?

“Don’t take advice.”

I remember a CEO telling me this once when I told him some people liked the new corporate meeting and some people didn’t. I looked at him. Don’t take advice? Really?

“You’ve done your research, you own the meeting, you don’t have to worry what anyone thinks,” he said. “You get to decide. And remember that all advice conflicts. You can twist advice any which way to make any point you want. Have you heard that ninety-seven percent of lung cancer patients are smokers and ninety-seven percent of smokers never get lung cancer?”

I stared at him blankly.

I didn’t know if that was true, but my brain was lighting up just thinking about it.

He was challenging me.

He always did.

“You make up your own mind. My advice is to become creatively indifferent to all advice. Hear it, but decide what to do yourself.” He paused and then said it one more time.

“Don’t take advice.”