15. Happiness is Overrated
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\\n\\t\\t\\t\\t\\t\\t\\tHappiness is everything. At least that\\u2019s what the Happiness Industrial Complex would like you to believe. But should it be? After all, the happiest countries are not the ones that sell the most self-help books. In this episode, we see how creativity may play into a more satisfying life.Show Notes:* Happiness is Overrated \\u2013 Wegs* There are other more substantial goals* Happiness is a byproduct of those efforts* The Purpose of Life is Not to Be Happy.It is to be Useful,To be Compassionate,To Have it Make Some Difference thatYou Have Lived & Lived Well. \\u2013 Ralph Waldo Emerson* The \\u2018Happiest\\u2019 Countries Are Never Those Where Self-Help Books Sell the Most. — Oliver Burkeman, The Antidote* What\\u2019s that tell us?* Over-focusing on an end result can throw you way off track* Life Is 10% What Happens to You and 90% How You React to It. — Charles R. Swindoll* a) \\u201cThey\\u201d don\\u2019t make you feel that way, your reaction to them does* b) It takes mindfulness and practice not to let things/\\u201dthem\\u201d get to you* Repeal the Law of Attraction — Wegs* Wishful thinking rarely leads to results* New Age thinking will most likely leave you unhappy in your old age* What Screws Us Up Most in Life is the Picture in Our Head of How It Is Supposed to Be. — Jennifer Nguyen* Trying to fulfill your ideal narrative leads to a less than ideal life* Leave some room for improvising, chance and luck* Inspiration is for Amateurs. — Chuck Close, Artist* Don\\u2019t be an Inspiration Junkie* You can power through with focus and effort* You\\u2019ll Be Happier When You Stop Trying to Be Happy\\u2026If You Observe a Really Happy Man, You Will Find Him Building a Boat, Writing a Symphony, Educating His Child, Growing Double Dahlias or Looking for Dinosaur Eggs in the Gobi Desert.\\xa0 He Will Not Be Searching for Happiness as if it were a Collar Button that Had Rolled Under the Radiator, Striving for it as a Goal in Itself.\\xa0 He Will Have a Become Aware that He Will Have Become Aware He Is Happy in the Course of Living Life 24 Crowded Hours of Each Day.\\xa0 — W. Beran WolfeTranscripts:Welcome to Episode 15 of Navigating the Fustercluck\\u2014a podcast full of snackable insights to help you navigate the love/hate world of creativity.My name is Wegs, like eggs with a W, joining you from Deaf Mule Studios in Dallas, and whether you work in advertising, design, gaming, fine art, commercial art, content creation, whatever it may be, we\\u2019re here to talk about your attitude & happiness and how they effect (or is that affect?) your creativity and work.Here comes some happy talk for you, but not in the slap happy crapy way most motivational speakers serve it up. That said, let me state right off the bat\\u2026Happiness is OverratedIn America, one thing that we all seem to be certain about is happiness. We want it. It\\u2019s everything. In fact, it\\u2019s the only thing. At least that\\u2019s what you\\u2019d think if you listen to all the happiness gurus out there. Those bright-eyed smoothies telling you that all you have to do is think your way to happiness. And that if your force-fed happy thoughts don\\u2019t make you happy, double down and think some more happy thoughts. Even more if need be. And if that doesn\\u2019t make you giddy, well sorry, it\\u2019s all your fault for being so negative!Now here\\u2019s a little thought-bomb delivered by Ralph Waldo Emerson that really got me thinking about happiness. Ol\\u2019 Ralphie said\\u2026The Purpose of Life is Not to Be Happy.It is to be Useful,To be Compassionate,To Have it Make Some Difference thatYou Have Lived & Lived Well.Doesn\\u2019t sound like what the Happiness Industrial Complex is selling, does it now? Then again, what do they know?The \\u2018Happiest\\u2019 Countries Are Never Those Where Self-Help Books Sell the Most. ~ Oliver Burkeman, The AntidoteFor a country obsessed with happiness, we ain\\u2019t all that happy, people. In fact, according to the United Nations, we don\\u2019t even crack the top ten.'