I had an aha moment that I'd like to share with you. I've recently started a business called the Theory of Enchantment, & the goal is to bring connection to previously polarized communities, whether that means the political arena, schools, or other groups trying to heal conflict.
Now I'd like to be successful with this company. I'd like to travel far and wide, be on talk shows, write a best-selling book or two, and really try to empower communities with this business.
But I realized that inasmuch as these are things I'd like to accomplish, accomplishing them is not my ultimate goal.
I've realized that as humans, we always want what we don't yet have, and then when we get it we discover that it did not bring us what we expected.
I've realized that as humans, we always want what we don't yet have, and then when we get it we discover that it did not bring us what we expected.
And as a result we get sorrowf, sometimes depressed even in moments of our greatest "successes." This is because we thought that achieving that goal would bring us meaning. But I think meaning lies within and isn't dependent upon any external gains, material or otherwise.
And the more I think about it, the more I realize that my ultimate goal in life is to obtain wisdom. And by wisdom, I mean that sense of living a meaningful life that King Solomon and the Stoics and others talked about.
So while I hope to be successful with this new venture, it is more important to me that I live a life of wisdom regardless of whether I get that book deal or land that TV show. This will bring me joy. Because those successes are fleeting, but a life well lived is a precious gift.
*sorrowful
/fin
/fin
