Happiness, as most insightfully understood, is not something that can be attained like an external goal, but is rather an experience or feeling that derives from the involvement in activities that give rise to it, without having it as an explicitly conscious goal.
Happiness is a by-product of what you do. It arises as an intangible outcome of your activities.
For example, if you choose a career because you love doing what it involves, and it is challenging and engaging, and it expresses your values, then there would be a high probability that you will experience happiness in doing the activities of this career. Happiness will be an incidental byproduct of doing the things you believe in and that are meaningful to you.
Avoid thinking of happiness as an object that you seek to obtain. Choose to do what is meaningful, what engages your interests and values, and what makes you feel alive, and happiness will invariably find you.
“Happiness in this world, when it comes, comes incidentally. Make it the object of pursuit, and it leads us [on] a wild-goose chase, and is never attained.” (Nathaniel Hawthorne, 19th century American author)
“Happiness is not achieved by the conscious pursuit of happiness; it is generally the by-product of other activities.” (Aldous Huxley, English writer and philosopher)
“The happiest people I know are people who don’t even think about being happy. They just think about being good neighbors, good people. And then happiness sort of sneaks in the back window while they’re busy doing good.” (Harold Kushner, American author and rabbi)
Getting Personal
From your own work or school experience, has happiness ever found you? If so, what were the main factors involved?
If not, what were the main factors involved?
