Happiness is…
Let's begin by defining what happiness is not. Pleasure, fleeting pleasure, is not happiness. Likewise, momentary joy isn't happiness either. For “happy,” Webster gives us three meanings:
- notably fitting, effective, or well adapted.
- favored by luck or fortune.
- enjoying or characterized by well-being and contentment.
I believe definitions two and three stem directly from definition one. In my experience, happy people always seem to have precisely the skills and talents required to accomplish those tasks to which they have pledged their lives. They've answered the question, “Why am I here and what is my purpose?” and now they're serving others in the manner they've chosen to serve. Toward this end, the skills and characteristics they've picked up along the way always seem (1.) “notably fitting, effective, or well adapted” to the task.
When you've set your face toward the sun, the whole universe conspires toward your success. You find yourself constantly (2.) “favored by luck or fortune” and (3.) “enjoying well-being and contentment.” But that's not to say you won't have troubles. Oh you'll most certainly have those. But you'll also have the constant encouragement of possibilities and a reason not to quit.
Happiness is a product of focus.
Focus comes from having a purpose.
Having a purpose comes from being needed.
Being needed comes from serving others.
There you have it. No matter how you slice it, happiness comes from serving others. The needs of others are what help you stay focused in the midst of swirling troubles. They keep you centered in the eye of life's storm and give those struggles meaningbecause it suddenly matters whether or not you're here. If you're saying to yourself, “I'm not needed,” might I suggest that you're needed and needed desperately by people you've not yet met? Why not go out and find them? You'll recognize them by their pain. And as you soothe theirs, your own will fade too, replaced by a new kind of glow.
We at Wizard Academy have committed our lives to equipping others with the tools, skills and confidence they'll need to accomplish the things to which they've committed their lives. As you read this, attorneys are drafting the papers to make Wizard Academy a true, non-profit organization, just like all the other great schools of America. Pennie and I will no longer own it, nor will we profit financially from its success.
On October 2nd we're meeting with everyone whose heart is like our own to spend a magical day on the hilltop we've donated to be the permanent campus of this institute of research, training and discovery. We're calling it the Founder's Meeting. Two hundred years from now, visitors will point to the names on the Founder's document and wonder what it would've been like to have been there that day. If you'd like to become part of what Wizard Academy is doing in the world, join us from 10AM to 10PM, Saturday, October 2nd in Austin, Texas, and add your name alongside our own. Your signature needs to be on this large document that will hang forever. Your face has a place in the historic photo.
We're making a difference and we want you to be part of it. For more information visit wizardacademy.org and click October 2 Celebration in the “Courses Offered” list.
Roy H. and Pennie Williams
IN NEXT WEEK'S MEMO the Wizard offers a detailed answer to advertising's most often asked question: “When Will My Ads Start Working?”