Happiness or Purpose? Purpose May Be Better.
The Japanese word "ikigai" can be translated into English as “that which makes life worth living." Put another way, purposeful living or "having a cause" or "why" for your life. Much has been written about whether happiness or purpose is better. I believe having a strong "why" allows you to overcome many obstacles on the way to the good life. It also allows you to ignore the setbacks along the way that are outside of your control.
Iza Kavedžija, in her post, The Japanese concept of ikigai: why purpose might be a better goal than happiness makes a strong argument that purpose is the key to happiness in the end:
“Focusing on one’s own happiness can prove self-defeating. The active pursuit of happiness and a determination to be or feel happy can quickly lead to a sense of inadequacy and disappointment. In this sense, happiness as a goal might be forever out of reach, little more than a fleeting and elusive ideal.”
Read more about the Japanese concept of ikigai.
By focusing on our lifelong pursuit (our cause or purpose) instead of momentary happiness, can we lead happier lives in the end?
Further Reading:
You may also be interested on our post Is Happiness a Duty? as well as Lesson #9 in 10 Things I Wish I Knew Before I Started Practicing Law post.
Happiness Posts is published by Darin M. Klemchuk founder of Klemchuk PLLC, an intellectual property law firm located in Dallas, Texas and co-founder of Engage Workspace for Lawyers, a coworking space for lawyers. He also publishes the Ideate (law) and Elevate (law firm culture) blogs. You can find more information about his law practice at his firm bio and also at his BioSite.