Happy High Herbs

Proposition(s): “do you think that being a high achiever makes you happy? If not, why do you do it?”

I see ‘happiness’ as a social emotion, one shared with others. Also it is transient, here one minute and then gone. It is not a state of being.

So I would say that happiness can’t be brought about by directly by achievements, but contentment may (more on this later).

I believe that there are three reasons why people seek high achievements. Either they succumb to direct pressure from parents, or they care greatly what other people, known to them or otherwise, think of them, or they worry that they may miss out on something (they know not what) – a mix of envy and fear.

They may fail to achieve highly, or they may get there and stop, or they can set new agendas for even greater greatness and never stop.

Dealing with the last mob first; they aren’t ever content because contentment would ruin their drive. Usually, any displays of happiness are fake.

The ones that sit back and rest, they get to learn the lessons of life, and may move on from their early life emotional driving forces. They may even become wise. These are the lucky ones. Once having achieved some goal these people can often maintain their position with very little effort, especially if they aren’t focused on the next great leap of achievement. I call this cruise control, and it’s very relaxing.

If someone has set their sights on high achievements, and failed, this may block one from being happy from time to time, through a general depression of mood. But note all the double negatives in there carefully. They can also just put it all down to learning and move on.