From My Old Blog: Happiness and Success

And here's another post from my first blog, one of early 20's philosophizing, although most of it I still agree with and think is helpful to ponder on.

At the end of every year I go through my stuff and my computer in a vain attempt to organize and clean it all up. This last year was no exception. While doing said tedious work I came across an interesting thing I wrote a couple years ago. I don't remember writing it or why I even wrote it but I liked it. While it had no title, it might as well have been titled "Happiness and Success." So here it is in its unadulterated form, a bit cheesy, yes, but also kind of deep. Well at least I think so.

The activities that will lead to success in the long term must be identified, accepted and executed in the short term for long term success to be possible.

Thus the short term activities that will lead to success in the long term are a means to an end (success/happiness).

However, if short term activities are only to gain long term ends (success/happiness), it could be implied that the short term (present) is devoid of those desired ends (success/happiness).

If the present is devoid of both happiness and success, then the next question is when do you reach the long term? When do you feel the fruits of success or happiness or both?

In addition, should success and happiness even be put together? They are not innately linked. Does success bring happiness, or does happiness bring success?

Regardless of which brings which, happiness is the greater achievement. Because your success is a purely personal representation of achievement (not social) it matters little to you if it isn't accompanied by happiness.

So happiness must be applied to the short term activities that will lead to success in the long term if achievement is even still desired.

If achievement is desired it is no longer and ends (happiness is) so is it a means?

Achievement at its highest level is an actualizing of personal ability. Happiness should (but not necessarily) make one want to achieve their best. Thus achievement is a means to no end.

The short term activities to bring long term success should be the short term activities that bring true happiness.

The short term activities that bring true happiness are the ends.

Happiness is an end in itself.