Finding Meaning and Happiness in Life

This is a micro lesson on

how to find meaning and happiness in your life,

or at least how to think about it

so you have a framework for how to approach it.

And the way I think about it is like this.

On one part of this graph we've got selfishness,

and toward the higher part would be more of it.

And the talent stack is at the bottom.

So the more you increase talent,

the further you are on this part of the graph.

And so when you're born,

you're at your maximum amount of selfishness and your minimum amount of talent.

There's not much you can do for the world.

And you're at your perfect place here by being completely selfish.

You're a perfect baby.

We don't really ask much of a baby.

As you learn things, you're picking up a little bit of talent in school,

but we're still not asking much of you as a child.

You can still be mostly selfish.

Later, as you have kids of your own,

you have a job, you're paying taxes,

we're asking more from you.

But you've picked up a lot of talent,

so it's easier for you to give.

If you've done things right,

by the time you're retirement age, or let's say 60 plus,

just to pick a random number,

you've accumulated enough for yourself

that selfishness isn't as important to you because

you've met all of your needs and you've turned externally.

Think of Bill Gates.

Makes his money early,

then turns to the Gates Foundation

and figures out how to give it away

once he's reached a certain part of life.

Now, my contention is that if you're below the curve,

you will feel happiness.

In other words, if you feel yourself picking up talents

to the point where you can be less selfish earlier,

sooner the better,

and you feel that you've met your own needs

and you're also helping other people,

in a way this is what I'm doing right now

because at this age I could just go spend my money.

But I seem to have some kind of value

based on the fact that I've accumulated a talent stack

of a certain size and it's very rewarding to me

and gives me happiness to be able to be unselfish

and to be able to share some goodness

that I've been blessed with.

Likewise, if you feel that you still need to be selfish,

the longer you go into life

because you haven't met your own needs yet,

the more stress you'll feel, the less happiness.

So this is the way to think of it

because it gives you an active thing

to do about wherever you are.

If you don't feel that you're happy,

it's probably because you don't have much power,

meaning you haven't even the power to take care of yourself yet.

So accumulate talents that will allow you to be less selfish.

It will allow you to take care of yourself

sooner because we want you to be selfish

until you're done taking care of yourself.

Only then does it make sense to turn your interest outward.

So think of your path to meaning and happiness

because your sense of meaning will be connected to this

as well as your sense of happiness.

They're really inseparable.

And this might help you in your quest for both

meaning and happiness.