The will to happiness as a purpose?

The desire for happiness stems from our own self-centred wishes and wants. Happiness is often linked to meeting immediate needs and desires, often through consuming and by indulging ourselves When we experience stress, worry, or anxiety, we don’t feel happy because they don’t bring pleasure and fun. It’s easy for us to become depressed and feel like victims in the face of life’s realities. We often seek external solutions, such as medication, escaping reality, or placing blame on others. If you believe this world is merely a place to find happiness, you may perceive it as unbearable.

John, a business colleague, once said to me, “Life is all about feelings. A good life means experiencing good feelings. A bad life means experiencing bad feelings. Without feelings, there is no life. Feeling is an incredible energy that we experience. To give into feelings is to go with the flow. By managing them we can consciously enjoy life.” John allowed these feelings to lead him into extramarital affairs, accompanying depraved influential business friends and spending money on extravagant experiences. However, the consequences were disastrous. He lost his marriage, the values he was proud of, as well as his company and former friends. When we met afterwards, he was in tears, felt a victim and he had started drinking. “The world is after me,” he told me. Over time John started a new company and married again, but his life was never as it had been, without worries and full of joy and gladness.

Power, happiness, and success are important aspects of life, but they can only contribute to fulfilment and abundance when they are guided by a meaningful purpose and values.

What exactly a good purpose constitutes, you can explore in our Insight.