You’re probably thinking that we took the following quote from the film starring Daniel Day Lewis. However, the truth of the matter is that the original phrasing came from a quote by English author Aldous Huxley (best known, of course, for Brave New World). The full quote is:
“Happiness is not achieved by the conscious pursuit of happiness. It is generally the by-product of other activities.” Aldous Huxley
We love this quote because it says so much about achieving satisfaction. We find satisfaction not when we try to force it, but when we, simply, live. This is not to say that we can’t make decisions that will help guide us to a happy and satisfied place. Learning to be less consumerist is certainly one of those decisions. We’ve all seen by now how we’ve been led into a world where happiness is not defined by your activities as much as it is by your possessions. And, of course, we believe that Huxley was right. Happiness is the by-product of actions.
When you wake up each day, don’t think about “What do I need to do today to be happy.” The chances that the answer you’ll come up with will really lead you to happiness are pretty slim. Think about “What do I need to do today to lead an active, fulfilling life.” When you do that, you’ll find yourself doing things that, at the end of the day, leave you satisfied.
Be responsible. Don’t use the idea that trying to force satisfaction or happiness won’t lead you to the place that you want to be as a reason to not take responsibility for your life and your happiness. However, finding satisfaction is much like finding a boyfriend. It often happens when we’ve stopped looking and instead started to focus on just being the best person that we can be.
