Credits: Social Media
Being successful could make life feel ’empty’, says mindfulness expert
Success is undeniably one of the most valued aspects of life. Those who are successful are often looked at as more capable and thriving. But does that guarantee happiness?
The definition of happiness can vary from person to person. Some people like to buy things to fill an emotional void, while others turn to social media for validation which makes them happy. Similarly, humans chase success all their lives without realizing the deeper meaning of existence.
Harvard professor’s take on true happiness
Everybody deserves to be happy. Your state of being is important for your overall well-being. That’s why doctors recommend doing a simple thing before bed to wake up blissful.
However, Harvard professor Dr. Ellen Langer with over four decades of experience in Mindfulness argues that “success doesn’t make you happy” while questioning popular belief.
Dr. Ellen was on The Rich Roll Podcast when she was discussing the common “perception of aging”, to show the power of mind on health.
The dreams and desires of older people shouldn’t be limited by their age as they can live their lives to the fullest by harnessing the power of the mind, to do things that may seem impossible at their age.
She says the true excitement and joy lie in trying out things and always pushing yourself to do better, not in being successful at something.
“Trying is the whole ball game,” she says, before highlighting the “massive misunderstanding where people think they want complete success.”
Don’t stop trying
The mindfulness expert thinks having “complete success makes life empty” and uses real-life examples to explain her stance better.
Imagine yourself playing golf and you’ve mastered the sport so well that you’re getting a hole each time you swing the club. Would you feel as overjoyed with every successful move?
The same goes for everything in life, which is measured with success. “So, once we can do it, it’s no longer meaningful,” Dr. Ellen explains.
In the same podcast, she reveals she doesn’t have a bucket list or rather doesn’t need one because she is mindful and living in the present, which doesn’t leave much room for the urge to be somewhere else doing something other than your current actions.
Dr. Ellen Langer has been studying mindfulness and mindlessness as her core subjects for more than 40 years. Her website states she has written extensively on the illusion of control in over 200 research articles and 13 books. Dr. Ellen is a professor in the Psychology Department at Harvard University.
