The Truth about Love, Happiness, Money, & Success You Won't Find on YouTube
Have you ever heard of a guy named Park Jea-sang?
Most likely not. Seems like just a regular guy, right?
And why should you even give a crap?
Well, at one point, you did at least briefly.
You watched his video.
Billions of us did.
PSY is the name he goes by. The wacky Korean guy behind the song "GANGNAM STYLE."
I bet you remember that.
Because it has 5.3 Billion views on YouTube.
Social media is a big part of our lives. It's a valuable tool, too.
We scroll Instagram, Facebook, or YouTube to see what everyone else is doing.
To learn something. To get inspired.
And if we’re honest—to waste a little (or a lot) of time.
But there’s a sneaky thing it does.
It tricks us into believing we can find all the answers to life’s big questions: love, happiness, money, and success.
To make it worse, our bodies buy into that story. Our entire nervous system does.
Social media is a master manipulator. It's a digital dopamine machine, as seen in the #1 New York Times bestseller Dopamine Nation.
Every 'like', 'comment', and 'share' triggers a little hit of pleasure. But that is a fleeting moment of validation.
This constant craving for approval spirals into a vicious cycle of self-comparison. We get trapped in a digital echo chamber.
We compare our behind-the-scenes reality to someone else’s curated highlight reel.
Social media has mastered the science of misdirection.
Don't believe me? Just watch the movie "The Social Dilemma" on Netflix.
Social media cherry-picks the best moments but hides the struggles. It gives us an edited version of reality.
It's a false flag wrapped up in pretty pictures.
It is our answer to our burning questions. You know the ones we type into Google every day.
"How to make money online". "How to attract true love". "How to find happiness" and "Best deals on christmas lights."
Success stories and 60-second life hacks.
And we keep searching. Every day.
We get a half a glass, not but not the whole thing. And that is where the reality of what it takes to build love, happiness, wealth, and success exists.
So, let’s unpack the truth—because half a glass of life ain't worth pourin' at all.
What we are going to cover:
1. The Truth About Love: It’s Not About #RelationshipGoals
We’ve all seen those posts. The ones where couples look like they’re straight out of a magazine, with matching sweaters.
The lighting is perfect. The captions that say things like, “Forever my best friend ❤️.”
They make us think love is all smiles, dates, and poetic declarations.
But here’s the thing: Real love is messy as hell. On so many levels.
And no one’s talking about that part.
The Reality: Love Isn’t Always Romantic, It’s Practical.
Love is the little stuff.
It’s listening to your partner talk about their day when you’d rather zone out. It’s figuring out how to handle finances without losing your mind.
It’s choosing to be there, even when things aren’t fun.
Esther Perel, relationship therapist and author of Mating in Captivity, says:
Love rests on two pillars: surrender and autonomy.
The book is pretty racy too. Perel talks about monogamy, erotic experience, the realm of seduction and lust vs. love. And even power play for those ready to get your kink on.
But real love doesn’t look like social media. It’s about seeing the ugly side of people—and still choosing to stay.
My partner is a nurse. She deals with life and death on a daily basis. When she comes home, I hear about her day.
The stories she tells blow me away.
Gunshots wounds to the head. Traumatic brain injury. Dealing with grieving families after a tragic loss.
I listen. I hear her.
No matter how shitty my day might have been, it never compares to what she deals with.
Tip: Embrace the Imperfection
Real love isn’t a flawless photo op.
Next time things go wrong, laugh about it. Relationships aren’t about perfection.
They’re about patience, commitment, and showing up even when it’s hard.
2. The Myth of Happiness: It’s Not a Permanent State of “Positive Vibes Only”
We live in a world obsessed with happiness.
Instagram influencers tell us to “choose happiness” every day. TikTok life coaches tell us happiness is about mindset, affirmations, and meditation. That's definitely part of it.
But we buy into the hype, wondering why we’re not floating on a cloud of joy every day.
The Reality: Happiness Is Fleeting—And That’s Okay.
Happiness isn’t supposed to last forever. It’s more like a fleeting feeling that shows up unannounced, sticks around for a bit, and then leaves.
As psychologist Daniel Kahneman says:
Nothing in life is as important as you think it is while you are thinking about it.
We tend to overestimate how happy things will make us. We overlook that life will have ups and downs no matter what.
How often, after a rough week, do you go out to unwind... determined to “be happy.”?
But the more you try, the more disconnected you feel.
You're so exhausted you don't even want to socialize.
Then you go home early and chill out. And you feel like a weight lifted.
Pretending to be happy is more exhausting than being honest with yourself.
Tip: Don’t Chase Happiness, Build Meaning.
Happiness is like a cat—it comes to you when you’re not trying to catch it. Instead of focusing on happiness, focus on what’s meaningful to you.
Volunteer, work on a skill, or build relationships.
Happiness will show up when you’re busy doing things that matter.
3. The Myth of Money: It’s Not a Magic Ticket to Freedom
“Rags to riches” stories and advice on how to make big money fast. They're around every corner.
Just look at the side of your Google search bar. Ads are interwoven into your search bar so seamlessly you likely don't even think about it.
That is called Native Advertising for you geeks out there.
We see financial freedom as the holy grail.
Get rich, and all your problems will disappear, right?
The Reality: Money Solves Some Problems, but Not All.
Money makes life easier. It buys comfort, opportunity, and access.
But it doesn’t buy fulfillment or a sense of purpose. Studies show after a certain point money stops having a big impact on your overall happiness.
Sure, it’s great to have financial security. But money alone won’t make your life meaningful.
I have seen this up close and personal.
When I started my first business, I had no money. I was renting a room from a friend.
Now this friend happened to be a trust fund kid. He was raised with a silver spoon.
A new sports care every year. The envy of most.
But he was not happy. Not in the least.
I watched him try to buy happiness in so many ways. Expensive dinners for women. Trips to Cabo for his friends. Free drinks at the bar.
But he was miserable and it showed.
Tip: Use Money for What Really Matters.
Instead of spending on things that look good online, invest in things that bring real joy and value to your life.
Spend on experiences, personal growth, or things that align with your values.
4. The Myth of Success: It’s Not a Straight, Glamorous Path
Success is one of the biggest illusions sold in the world today.
We see people who seem to “make it” overnight, and we wonder what we’re doing wrong. We assume success is a straight path, perfectly planned and perfectly executed.
The Reality: Success Is a Winding Road with Dead Ends and Detours.
Real success isn’t glamorous, and it’s rarely instant. It’s about grinding, failing, learning, and starting over.
James Clear in "Atomic Habits" points out:
You do not rise to the level of your goals, you fall to the level of your systems.
Success is more about daily habits and persistence than one grand achievement.
I once spent years on a project that flopped. It was supposed to be my big breakthrough, but it ended in a dead end and nearly half a million bucks gone. Poof!
At the time, it felt like a failure.
But that “failure” taught me skills and opened doors to new opportunities I hadn’t planned for.
Success often looks like failure when you’re in the middle of it.
Tip: Focus on Systems, Not Outcomes.
Success isn’t about reaching the end goal—it’s about building systems that help you improve over time.
Focus on daily habits, learning, and improving; the results will come as a side effect.
(Habits can really be the game-changers when you are searching for the truth about love, happiness, money, and success. When your habit system is designed properly you can build habits around them all.)
5. The True Path to Hacking A Meaningful Life
Social media is full of “life hacks” that promise to make us more productive, happy, and successful in no time.
But here’s the harsh truth: there are no real shortcuts to things that matter.
The Reality: Growth Takes Time, Effort, and Patience
Sure, hacks can be helpful for small tasks. You amaze yourself if you track your habits for a month.
But hacks won't get you to the big meaning in your life. Real growth requires long-term effort and consistency.
Malcolm Gladwell says in Outliers, mastering a skill takes around 10,000 hours. And no life hack can make up that time.
I once bought a course that promised “easy ways to learn a language in 10 minutes a day.”
After a month of no progress, I realized I’d been avoiding the real work. When I finally committed to studying, I started to learn.
There’s no substitute for time and effort.
Tip: Commit to the Process, Not the Hack.
Life hacks are fine but won’t give you mastery or transformation. Be in it for the long haul if you want to see actual results.
Practice, put in the time, and stop looking for shortcuts.
6. The Myth of Perfection: It’s Not Real (Even If It Looks That Way Online)
Perfection is the secret illusion behind most social media. We’re shown flawless images of people, projects, homes, and bodies.
We get tricked into thinking we’re falling short.
The Reality: Perfection Doesn’t Exist—and It’s a Waste of Time to Chase It.
Perfection isn’t real. It's an unattainable goal that keeps us feeling inadequate.
In The Gifts of Imperfection, Brené Brown writes:
Perfectionism is a 20-ton shield we carry around hoping it will protect us when, in fact, it’s the thing that’s really preventing us from taking flight.
Stop aiming for perfection. Embrace the mess and learn to appreciate the process.
Tip: Embrace ‘Good Enough’.
Perfectionism is a productivity killer.
Aim for “good enough” and move forward. Done is better than perfect.
You’ll make progress faster, and you’ll be less stressed along the way.
The Bottom Line Truth of about Love, Happiness, Money and Success
Find meaning beyond the myth.
Society sells us myths because they’re easy to digest.
They make life look more straightforward than it is. But life isn’t supposed to be a highlight reel.
It hurts. It's complicated. It's always full of surprises.
Stop buying the myths about love, happiness, money, and success. Then, you will see life for what it really is: a journey.
And the point isn’t to hit a perfect destination. The point is to keep growing, learning, and finding meaning in the imperfect moments.
So next time you scroll and feel like you’re missing out.
Remember this: Life’s biggest truths can’t be summarized in a hashtag.
Turn off the screen, step into the storm, and build a meaningful life.
This is life, unfiltered.
And honestly, it’s a lot better this way.
Until next time,
Jerod
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