When you hear the phrase ‘pursuit of happiness’, what images does it invoke? 

The framers of the constitution modeled this phrase after the Greek word eudaimonia literally translated as the state of a ‘good spirit’. A more Platonian description of the word can be summarized as ‘a state of well-being and flourishing that results from living a life of moral virtue, wisdom, and self-discipline’. 

It’s an easy trap to confuse happiness as a state of being with happiness as a temporary emotion. When you use the latter definition, especially when hooked up to your dreams, your work, and your motivation, it generally leads to what all hamsters feel when on the wheel. Working, striving, reaching, pursuing yet never really getting anywhere. 

Here’s the question to ask yourself: Am I pursuing happiness as a temporary emotion to meet an immediate need or am I pursuing happiness as a state of being? Greek philosophers, religious leaders, and yes, the writers of the constitution would all say that happiness is found in good living not in living good.

What does good living look like for you? Take a few minutes and reflect on how this intersects with what you know about the things that motivate you, the way you work, and the dreams you have. Are you pursuing happiness as a state of being (good living) or are you on the wheel of temporary happiness through stuff (living good)?