If we can accept as true that life circumstances are not the keys to happiness, we'll be greatly empowered to pursue happiness for ourselves.
Sonja LyubomirskyRead
It turns out that the process of working toward a goal, participating in a valued and challenging activity, is as important to well-being as its attainment.
Interpretation
What this quote means
The journey toward achieving a goal contributes significantly to our happiness, not just the final outcome.
Sonja Lyubomirsky emphasizes that the act of working towards a goal is equally, if not more important than actually achieving it. Engaging in meaningful and challenging tasks fosters a sense of purpose and fulfillment, contributing to one's overall well-being. This perspective shifts the focus from solely valuing the end result to appreciating the growth and experience gained along the way.
Themes
GoalWell-BeingHappinessJourneySuccess
In practice
Example use cases
During a motivational speech about personal growth, you can emphasize the importance of enjoying the journey.
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Happiness is not out there for us to find. The reason that it's not out there is that it's inside us.
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The combination of rumination and negative mood is toxic. Research shows that people who ruminate while sad or distraught are likely to feel besieged, powerless, self-critical, pessimistic, and generally negatively biased.
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Thus the key to happiness lies not in changing our genetic makeup (which is impossible) and not in changing our circumstances (i.e., seeking wealth or attractiveness or better colleagues, which is usually impractical), but in our daily intentional activities.
Sonja LyubomirskyRead
Similar quotes
Happiness lies not in the mere possession of money; it lies in the joy of achievement, in the thrill of creative effort. The joy and moral stimulation of work no longer must be forgotten in the mad chase of evanescent profits. These dark days will be worth all they cost us if they teach us that our true destiny is not to be ministered unto but to minister to ourselves and to our fellow men.
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It is the end of happiness and the beginning of peace.
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Those born to wealth, and who have the means of gratifying every wish, know not what is the real happiness of life, just as those who have been tossed on the stormy waters of the ocean on a few frail planks can alone realize the blessings of fair weather.
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The happiest ones are those who have a character which would prefer their services to be unknown to all generations.
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But who can say what's best? That's why you need to grab whatever chance you have of happiness where you find it, and not worry about other people too much. My experience tells me that we get no more than two or three such chances in a life time, and if we let them go, we regret it for the rest of our lives.
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