At his Town Hall in Europe, Obama said something that I've been thinking for a long time - and, not surprisingly, said it better.
"But the point is that what I found at a very young age was that if you can only think about yourself -- 'How much money can I make? What can I buy? How nice is my house? What kind of fancy car do I have?' -- that over the long term, I think you get bored," he told the audience of mostly students.
"I think if you're only thinking about yourself, your life becomes diminished, and the way to live a full life is to think about what can I do for others, how can I be a part of this larger project of making a better world," he said.
His idea is slightly different than mine in execution though. He's talking about public service in an altruistic sense, and while I agree with that my idea is broader. Doing for others isn't limited to charity. Every day millions of people go to their jobs complaining that it isn't fulfilling for them because they aren't "making a difference" and they want a "job that fulfills them". I think that that is an attitude that promises to lead you straight to a life of ennui. If you want to be happy, ask yourself "where can I best be of use?" Every job needs doing. Just find a job suited to your skill set and do it well. Take pride in what you give to the collective enterprise of your office or company. Basically, to paraphrase another U.S. President, ask not what your job can do for you but what you can do for your job. Don't do this because you owe your job something. Do it because it'll make you happier.
