The secret to happiness is…earned success

I just came across this interesting article and although I think it stumbles into a few political issues, which I’m not sure I fully understand or agree with, but at the same time there are some interesting points that are well worth considering for those of us interested in happiness and positive psychology…

by Arthur C Brooks for The Washingon Examiner

People flourish when they earn their own success. It’s not the money per se, which is merely a measure — not a source — of this earned success. More than any other system, free enterprise enables people to earn success and thereby achieve happiness. For that reason, it is not just an economic alternative but a moral imperative.

People think that they will be happier if they have more money, but quickly find out that they’re mistaken. When people are asked what income they require for a satisfying life, they consistently respond — regardless of their income — that they would need an income about 40 percent higher than whatever they’re earning at the time.

Benjamin Franklin (a pretty rich man for his time) grasped the truth about money’s inability to deliver life satisfaction. “Money never made a man happy yet, nor will it,” he declared. “The more a man has, the more he wants. Instead of filling a vacuum, it makes one.”

If money without earned success does not bring happiness, then redistributing money won’t make for a happier America. Knowing as we do that earning success is the key to happiness, rather than simply getting more money, the goal of our political system should be this: to give all Americans the greatest opportunities possible to succeed based on their hard work and merit.

This is the liberty our founders wrote about, the liberty that enables the true pursuit of happiness.

Earned success gives people a sense of meaning about their lives. And meaning also is a key to human flourishing…

…to read the full and original story – JUST CLICK HERE