In the Declaration of Independence, Thomas Jefferson argued that life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness are our inalienable rights.
We have life and more liberty than our ancestors could possibly have imagined. Not just freedom from tyrants and feudal lords, but freedom from backbreaking labor without worker protections, forced conscription, arranged marriages, widespread banditry and injustice, religious persecution, and the threat of dozens of now-curable diseases.
Happiness on the other hand, is a little trickier.
Notice that Jefferson was wise enough to say that we don't have a right to happiness itself, just the pursuit of it. After all it can be elusive...especially Level Three.
According to Daniel Nettle, a lecturer in Psychology at the University of Newcastle in Britain and the author of Happiness: The Science Behind Your Smile, there are three levels of happiness.
Level One is the happiness of momentary feelings. This is the enjoyment we take in a good movie, a game of golf, a travel vacation to a favorite destination or a meal spent in the company of friends and family. This type of happiness is immediate but transient. Whenever you have experience fun or pleasure, you have reached Level One.
Level Two is more cognitive. It involves judgments about feelings. If you are satisfied with your life, if you reflect on your pleasure and pains, your assets and liabilities and feel that, overall, the balance is positive, you've reached Level Two. You are likely to report a general sense of satisfaction or well being.
And Level Three? According to Nettle, you reach Level Three only when you feel your are flourishing, fulfilling your life's potential. Level Three is about living the highest quality life.
What is that exactly?
I'm tempted to paraphrase Louis Armstrong. Asked by an interviewer to define Jazz, he replied "Man, if you gotta ask, you'll never know."
Clearly, however, a high-quality life is not synonymous with simply make a lot of money.
I'm not an idealist arguing that money doesn't matter given the economic structure. It does.
Money determines your neighborhood and the house your kids grow up in. It determines whether they go to college and where. It can decide whether you get a decent doctor or an incredible doctor. If you need a lawyer, it determines whether you get an ambulance chaser or the best defense attorney money can buy. It provides freedom, security and peace of mind.
In short, money matters. BUT it doesn't buy genuine love or friendship. It won't solve all your problems, end your worries, fix your marriage, make you "a success," or even make your more charitable. People without money often imagine it will will do all these things. It won't.
That's because money doesn't change you. It magnifies you, making it clear to everyone who you really are. In the end, you are who you are because of the choices you make, not the amount of money you have.
As author Larry Winget said, "If Paris Hilton, Britney Spears and Justin Beiber weren't rich, that would still be crashing cars and acting stupid at Wal-Mart instead of on Rodeo Drive. You just wouldn't know about it...Money doesn't make you stupid. It just gets your picture taken more often."
Some folks might wonder what creates high-level satisfaction, if not the blessings that money can buy.
In his book EconoPower: How a New Generation of Scientists is Transforming the world, Mark Skousen provides a pretty good answer. The four elements of happiness, he says are:
1. Rewarding and honest employment
2. Recreation
3. Love and friendship
4. Spiritual development
Notice that number 1 is a pretty tough hurdle for retirees, and helps explain why so many slip into depression after leaving the workforce.
Notice that none of the four elements requires money. (Though I'll concede that if you're broke, your recreation is more likely to be hiking, swimming, or reading than yachting or racing thoroughbreds.)
Perhaps the best description of Level Three happiness was put forward by Aristotle a few thousand year ago in the Nicomachean Ethics.
The Greek philosopher argued that we seek happiness in all the wrong places (Like Love). We chase pleasure, excitement, and profit. Not that these things aren't enjoyable. But they don't create lasting contentment, because they are not what matters most.
What matters most, says Aristotle, is realizing your potential, living up to your values, and following your conscience. It's these things that create "the good life." It's these virtues that lead to a deep and abiding sense of happiness (what Nettle calls Level Three)
Following the dictates of conscience is never easy, of course. In many ways we will fall short. Still, it's better to fail at what is worth pursuing than to succeed at what is not.
As a wise man famously said, "The truth of the matter is you always know the right thing to do (Unless you're a sociopath!). The hard part is doing it."
To your greater happiness!
Peter Mclees, Leadership Trainer and Coach
petercmclees@gmail.com
Mobile: 323-854-1713
P. S. Smart Development has an exceptional track record helping ports, restaurants, stores, branches, distribution centers, sales teams, food production facilities, nonprofits, government agencies, and other businesses create a strong culture, leadership bench strength and the teamwork necessary for growth. Having worked with several companies throughout their growth cycle, we have valuable insights and strategies that would help any late stage startup, small or medium sized company achieve sustained growth and prosperity.
P. S. Smart Development has an exceptional track record helping ports, restaurants, stores, branches, distribution centers, sales teams, food production facilities, nonprofits, government agencies, and other businesses create a strong culture, leadership bench strength and the teamwork necessary for growth. Having worked with several companies throughout their growth cycle, we have valuable insights and strategies that would help any late stage startup, small or medium sized company achieve sustained growth and prosperity.
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