Mindset Mondays with DTK – Ep #181 — Either/Or? Or Both?
The intentional, heartfelt words of a dying always carry more weight.
My life has been marked by several chapters of almost opposing goals states. There were times where I was relentlessly attentive to my impact, the being useful, to mattering. And, often in response to that single-minded pursuit came the chapters where the theme was solely about being happy.
Which was right? Which was wrong?
American humorist Leo Rosten couldn’t imagine that the purpose of life merely being “to be happy.”
“The purpose of life is to matter,
to count, to stand for something,
to have it make some difference
that we lived at all.”
— Leo Rosten
NO, this is not an anti-hedonic rant. Though I can not imagine a world where it is healthy for one to be solely dedicated to one’s own happiness, nor can I imagine a healthy world where one is expected to live a service-before-self life. (Ask me about “The Altruism Myth” one day!)
In my world, this is NOT an either/or challenge. In fact, this is an incredibly powerful example of “Yes, AND” …
Life’s dual purpose is both to be happy AND to make a difference.
I have learned of late (and repeatedly) that I am healthiest when I am actively choosing both … simultaneously and unapologetically.
And, over my three decades as an entrepreneur, ALL of us are healthier individually and communally when we live that dual purpose of being happy and mattering.
Which camp are you in: Happy, Matter, or Both?
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