Beyond Happiness: How Selflessness and Service Lead to a More Fulfilling Life.

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There is no guaranteed place in life where all suffering will end and you will live in eternal joy, to be clear on this point. If not utopian, this concept is legendary. Neither total justice nor even absolute joy exist. The majority of people who are genuinely happy are not those who have amassed extremely affluent lives. These are the folks who have discovered their calling—something greater than themselves—to which they have generously given their time and energy. In order to achieve something great, these individuals have let rid of their pride, their need for approval, and their desire for material belongings.

Try presenting a thoughtful birthday gift to a friend and see how happy they are when you see their physical appearance light up. In just one instant, several insights occur. It is a mistake to pursue happiness because it is ultimately a mental state and frequently a deliberate decision.

Emotions can be affected by anything and everything, and they often fluctuate as they should. In essence, it would be like trying to catch the wind. Another problem I see is that it encourages avoiding challenging circumstances rather than giving meaning to suffering. As a therapist, I help people confront their pain and anxieties rather than run away from them. Finally, because happiness is so egotistical, I would argue that it is dangerous. It is self-centered and self-centered. What will bring me the greatest joy. Because we may lose our perceived happiness as a result, this frequently saps our motivation to assist others.

Consider the someone who dedicates their entire life to achieving a particular objective. I've read from these folks time and time again that when they accomplish that final goal, they frequently feel totally empty. They believed it would bring them joy, but in the end, they realized they had been pursuing the wrong goal all along. If you want to hear my ideas on this topic in further detail, I actually made a video on it.

Happiness is the outcome of an accomplishment—the satisfaction of needs—rather than something that can be immediately attained. You're not happy if you sense needs. You are content when all of your requirements are satisfied. Therefore, it's helpful to think of happiness as the lack of needs. Now, pursuing happiness involves two actions: First of all, by admitting that you're unhappy, you're keeping yourself from ever truly recognizing happiness when it does appear. Secondly, you're admitting that you have a need—the need for happiness. If you believe that the lack of needs is what leads to happiness, then thinking that you need happiness merely leads to a never-ending cycle of needs, from which bliss will never emerge.

Therefore, letting go of a desire for happiness is the initial stage in creating it. By accepting things as they are, you can avoid being like a dog pursuing its tail and cease labeling yourself as miserable.