INSIGHTS
WORK AND HAPPINESS |
“Happiness is the meaning and the purpose of life, the whole aim and end of human existence.” – Aristotle “Happiness is a state of non-contradictory joy—a joy without penalty or guilt, a joy that does not clash with any of your values and does not work for your own destruction, not the joy of escaping from your mind, but of using your mind’s fullest power, not the joy of faking reality, but of achieving values that are real, not the joy of a drunkard, but of a producer. ” – Ayn Rand, For the New Intellectual Happiness comes from the pursuit of deep, personal, authentic values – values that are beneficial for your life in the long term, values that you can realistically achieve. Happiness is not about moods, and not a transient celebratory joy but a prolonged inner experience. As Don Watkins writes in Effective Egoism, ‘Happiness is not weather—it is climate. It is the emotional undertone of a life well-lived. Happiness is not something you lose when life gets difficult: happiness, and the promise of it, is what sustains you in choppy waters.’ The following are mistaken views of happiness. ‘Happiness is not wanting too much.’ ‘Happiness is giving to others.’ ‘Happiness is a false god and fleeting.’ ‘Chasing happiness is selfish.’ ‘Happiness is avoiding frustration by letting go of your obsessions.’ You need to identify the materials you want to work with, the activities you enjoy, and the goals that will fulfil you. Then you must check they won’t conflict with your other values, that the cost is not too high, and that your venture is realistic. To commit to your mission, you will sometimes need to push past the pressures keeping you on the safe path. Or you will need to act against the expectations of your spouse or partner or your family or friends. But you must choose your own independent course. Happiness comes from the achievement of YOUR values, not the values of others. This is your life and it is limited to your time on Earth. You must maximise it and ignore those who try to tell you to live for others. To be successful, you need to be devoted to your work, and be prepared to work long hours. For this level of commitment, you need to LOVE what you’re doing. To be able to work long hours you also need to be content with the other domains in your life, especially your relationships and your health. Working for your best life can be hard and painful. And sometimes you must push through the valley of despair. But the rewards are well worth it. And it’s better to try than to spend years regretting not trying. As Jeff Bezos wisely said: ‘Take the path of least regret.’ |
SELF-ESTEEM AND ACHIEVEMENT |
Self-esteem comes from your competence at using your mind to achieve your goals and your assessment of yourself as morally entitled to the happiness that flows from reaching your goals. It is a crucial pre-requisite for happiness. Self esteem is your reputation with yourself. Self-esteem comes from within. It is not obtained from awards or praise. You must apply rational standards in your evaluation of yourself and others. The virtuous cycle of self-esteem: achievement increases self-esteem which in turn produces more achievement. To overcome procrastination, break down big goals into smaller steps and commit to taking the first step. Remember that “dreamers say ‘one day’ while doers say ‘day one’.” |
VALUE OF EMOTIONS |
“An emotion is the psychosomatic form in which man experiences his estimate of the beneficial or harmful relationship of some aspect of reality to himself.” – psychologist Nathaniel Branden, The Psychology of Self-Esteem. Introspection is a critical skill for understanding our emotions and for uncovering those values that are rational, validated, well defined and truly ours. Many of us also have self-limiting beliefs that prevent us from pursuing our deepest values. Specific well-structured exercises are required for successful introspection to uncover these concealed values. |
PRIORITIES |
Schedule your value pursuit activities according to the type of time and energy they require. |
FOLLOWING YOUR PASSION |
It is often claimed that passion is for hobbies. On the contrary you should follow your passion, but passion should not be opposed to reason and common sense, but deeply integrated with it. |
INTELLIGENCE |
It is not high IQ but clear painstaking thinking that gets you to your goal. As Thomas Jefferson said: ‘Fix reason firmly in her seat and call to her tribunal every fact, every opinion.’ |