The paradox of pursuing happiness (DW#963)

The pursuit of happiness, it turns out is a lost cause.
 
We discussed a quote from Ward’s book which says that, paradoxically, when we go all in on striving "to be helpful to others and serve the greater good" (without doing so trying to be happy per se), our happiness shows up as a wonderful by-product.

Victor Frankl also emphasizes the same idea in his seminal book, Man’s Search for Meaning:

"Again and again I therefore admonish my students in Europe and America: Don’t aim at success—the more you aim at it and make it a target, the more you are going to miss it. For success, like happiness, cannot be pursued; it must ensue, and it only does so as the unintended side effect of one’s personal dedication to a cause greater than oneself or as the by-product of one’s surrender to a person other than oneself. Happiness must happen, and the same holds for success: you have to let it happen by not caring about it. I want you to listen to what your conscience commands you to do and go on to carry it out to the best of your knowledge. Then you will live to see that in the long-run—in the long-run, I say!—success will follow you precisely because you had forgotten to think about it.

Success, like happiness, cannot be pursued  . . .it must ensue. Ensue as a result of focusing on a mission bigger than ourselves and our own happiness.

What’s yours?

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