“A common modest life brings more happiness than the pursuit of success combined with constant restlessness.”
Albert Einstein
In a world of consumerism productivity and the constant striving to out-do the preceding quarterly earnings, Einstein’s advice is a nice and admittedly cliche reminder on the importance of the simple life.
- The advice that life is what happens in between doing the important stuff such as work or events or meetings is a significant one.
- We live for moments of close and transient connection.
- We get out of bed to see the smile of a friend.
- We work extra hours so we can eventually spend more of them in a state of modest ease.
That is not to say we should conduct our daily doings in the absence of any and all goals.
- Enough evidence exists to support the fact that the pursuit of a goal is conducive to a happy life.
- However, equally evident is the fact that the most beneficial goals are intrinsic rather than extrinsic.
- that they focus on meaningful aspirations, such as community or curiosity rather than material gain.
- hence, it is less important as to whether a goal is achieved.
- that they focus on meaningful aspirations, such as community or curiosity rather than material gain.
Instead we should focus on what the goal is to begin with.
- And even when we do find a goal worthy of pursuit, we should be careful, as Einstein warns the good life is not found in an equivalency between happiness and success.
Re-source: Retool
to revise and reorganize, especially for the purpose of updating or improving
Far too often the modern individual becomes absolutely convinced that their happiness is based upon success – the achievement of their goals above all else.
- We rarely reflect on the fact that many successful people tend to be unhappy or at the very least overworked.
- In the pursuit of success they may have pushed aside the very elements that have originally inspired them.
- finding themselves comfortably at the top and yet all alone.
- This can be pinned on the psychological concept of the “hedonic treadmill.”
Unfortunately we tend to believe that a new promotion, relationship, or possession will elevate our happiness for good.
- We chase increasingly expensive and opulent things in the hopes of cheating our own psychological limits
- And when we obtain them we do in fact feel good, but the honeymoon phase comes to a close, and so we find ourselves reacquainted with desire.
Success perfectly plays into this treadmill whenever we reach some sort of goal.
- We are intermittently satisfied but soon the satisfaction brings forth boredom and restlessness.
- We need to do more.
Many spend their whole lives in a rat race to the top, seeing their entire existence as a tool for success.
- Success, should be a tool for happiness.
The simple life isn’t a pledge to minimalism or living out the rest of your life in a cabin in the woods.
- The simple life is the ability to back up and see life for what it is.
The capacity for one to intelligently select the goals that mean the most to them, and equally to know when to stop and simply appreciate what they have is an understated one.
- And perhaps there should be some pity given to some of the most outwardly successful among us who will nevertheless remain alien to the happiness that comes from simply saying that’s enough.
craving and resource from Sisyphus 55 – “Einstein’s Theory of Happiness”