Perhaps the secret to life is that there is no secret.

“The Rich Are Not Who We Think They Are. And Happiness Is Not What We Think It Is, Either.” is a recently-published opinion piece in the New York Times by Seth Stephens-Davidowitz.

(Apologies if you find that it’s behind a paywall.)

Here are a few of my key takeaways from it:

More than 140,000 Americans earn more than $1.58 million per year. (Wow.)

Seth writes, “Rich people own. … Salaries don’t make people rich nearly as often as equity does.”

And, “Rich people tend to own unsexy businesses.” Things like gas stations and auto dealerships.

And when it comes to happiness, “The activities that make people happiest include sex, exercise and gardening.”

Seth also shares, “The findings on the data of happiness are, to be honest, obvious. When I told my friends about these studies, the most common response was, ‘Did we need scientists to tell us this?’”

Bottom line for me?

You already know what makes you happy. Are you doing it? If not now, when?