We hold these truths to be self-evident, that all men are created equal, that they are endowed by their Creator with certain unalienable Rights, that among these are Life, Liberty and the pursuit of Happiness.
These words from the Preamble to the Declaration of Independence are well-known. Maybe you had to memorize them in grade school. But you may not be aware of exactly where these words came from—and one key phrase in particular. The Declaration was written by Thomas Jefferson, who was charged with wording the precise grievances the colonies had with England that would cause them to sever the relationship and plunge the newly-minted states into revolutionary war. The Preamble was an afterthought, but many believe this defines, in its purest form, the idea behind the governing philosophy of the United States. Jefferson did not coin the phrase “the pursuit of happiness”. He got it from noted English philosopher John Locke (1632-1704). Locke used the phrase in his book An Essay Concerning Human Understanding.
Locke wrote, “The necessity of pursuing happiness [is] the foundation of liberty. As therefore the highest perfection of intellectual nature lies in a careful and constant pursuit of true and solid happiness; so the care of ourselves, that we mistake not imaginary for real happiness, is the necessary foundation of our liberty.” Understanding Locke’s concept of happiness—“true and solid happiness”—is key to knowing the American way of life. The “pursuit of happiness” as envisaged by him and by Jefferson was not merely the pursuit of pleasure, property, or self-interest (although it does include all of these). It is also the freedom to be able to make decisions that results in the best life possible for a human being, which includes intellectual and moral effort.
Parts of the Declaration of Independence and the Constitution are lifted from the writings of John Locke. His greatest idea is that the rights to life, liberty and happiness precede the existence of the state.
Our contemporary understanding of “pursuit of happiness” is a thinner, less meaningful shadow of what the Declaration’s author intended, according to Brent Strawn, who teaches religion and theology in Emory’s Candler School of Theology and Graduate Division of Religion. “It may be that the American Dream, if that is parsed as lots of money and the like, isn’t a sufficient definition of the good life or true happiness. It may, in fact, be detrimental,” notes Strawn, editor of “The Bible and the Pursuit of Happiness: What the Old and New Testaments Teach Us About the Good Life.” (Oxford University Press, 2012).
You are not happy. People in the U.S. are more unhappy today than they’ve been in nearly 50 years. A University of Chicago/NBC News study conducted in 2020 found that just 14% of Americans say they are “very happy.” The study found people are less optimistic about their standard of living and their children’s future. They are less likely to report emotional and psychological stress. And twice as many Americans report being lonely and isolated—over 45% of the country. Despite the present circumstances of life, many in our country choose to live in either the past or the future—discontent with their progress from yesterday, or unclear of their direction for tomorrow. A philosopher once said, “If you are depressed, you are living in the past. If you are anxious, you are living in future. If you are at peace, you are living in the present.” So many are left with the question, “How can I find happiness in life that is beyond my station and brings me lasting meaning and a healthy mind?”
You are meant to pursue happiness. No, not the possessions, position or profit that you believe will make you happy. Happiness itself is a pursuit, not a destination. The Founding Fathers believed this simple phrase represented the noblest mission to which a free people could apply themselves, so much so that they wrote it into the very document explaining why they were declaring their freedom. And here is the great secret—the three things you can pursue that will lead you to happiness. The three things that may not lead to a mansion on a hill or a date with Miss America. But those things which will provide the deep satisfaction in your soul that you are living for the most noble of reasons.
Make close friends. 1 Thessalonians 5:11 says, “Therefore encourage one another and build one another up, just as you are doing.” Friendships that encourage you, make you a better person, and lead to a trusting bond in times of crisis and need, are of tremendous value. These kinds of relationships take a commitment to form and grow. Real friendships are a pursuit that will take much of your time, but will be rich in their reward. Psychologists indicate most people have 3-5 close relationships, including a spouse. The National Institutes of Health in studying social relations, says, “There is substantial evidence in the psychological and sociological literature that individuals with richer networks of active social relationships tend to be more satisfied and happier with their lives.”
It’s hard to make friends as an adult. If you don’t stay connected to your childhood or college friends, you can end up in your 30s (or 40s, or 50s) knowing a lot of people, but being close to very few of them. Dr. Amir Levine, a psychiatrist and a neuroscientist, has studied humans and animals as a way to understand human bonding. “Social connections are the most powerful way for us to regulate our emotional distress,” Dr. Levine said. “If you are in distress, being in proximity to someone you’re securely attached to is the most effective way to calm yourself.”
Musicians are one of the happiest career choices in the US according to CareerExplorer, rating in the top 8% of all careers—and on par with doctors. Among the lowest careers in the happiness rankings? Lawyers and salesmen.
Levine also makes a distinction between our desire to be admired or to be known. “Culturally we are also more focused on career success, financial accomplishments and family milestones than we are on connection with others.” Yet that connection is what we really desire— “We think about relationships as things that happen to us, but the truth is that we make them happen,” says Levine. To build friendships that last there is simply no substitute for time and effort. Choosing to go out and gather with others versus staying in and binge watching Netflix, or consoling someone in a crisis instead of letting the call go to voicemail—these and other seemingly simple engagements, intentional and frequent, begin to cement the bonds of close friendship.
Do what you love. In creation, there is no separation between “do what you love” and “do what needs doing.” God is doing what He loves. When He declares that His creation is “good” and “very good,” He is celebrating, enjoying, approving, lingering, and gazing on His work. Psalm 104:31 says, “The Lord rejoices in His works.” As God’s creation, we are a reflection of Him in that we have work that we love to do. You aren’t meant to occupy a La-Z-Boy. Instead, you should pursue happiness as you dig in to that work which brings you joy and satisfaction. Work takes up a significant percentage of one’s life, and people have expectations of what their job should be like. When these expectations are not met, it brings feelings of disappointment, bitterness, and lack of interest.
God’s work isn’t only for His own pleasure, but also for the enjoyment of His image-bearers. His creation is “very good” not only because it’s perfect, but also because it’s perfect for us. His creation is a place where we can live, survive, thrive, and flourish. He gives us “dominion . . . over all the earth” (Genesis 1:26) and thrills to see how we cultivate and manage it.
So many are unhappy in the work. You might think that limited career growth, being underpaid or poor management are the main reasons people become dissatisfied in their careers. But according to a 2018 study by Psychology Today, the primary reason for unhappiness in one’s job is lack of meaningful work. An economic study found that although artists have some of the highest unemployment rates of all professions, they also enjoy significantly higher work satisfaction than almost any other profession, mainly due to their autonomy and ability to choose to do what interests them (Economics Letters, October 2013). These two work related facets—meaning and interest—are things we crave in our livelihoods.
Finding happiness in your work begins with a sense of gratitude. In perspective, the average household income worldwide is about $10,000 a year. To live significantly beyond that is a tremendous financial blessing that should not be taken for granted. Consider, too, your own values—those things that are important to your life including family, faith, friendships, and personal past-times and pursuits. Your work can enable these areas to flourish.
Finally, consider your talents and skills, and those areas of life which bring you joy. Consider how a different field of work might allow you to combine what you enjoy with what you do for a living. A career change to engage in your “best self” may be scary. While not every hobby can be turned into a full-time job, examining your interests outside of work is a great way to discover what type of career might lead you toward happier days. One way to move positively in that direction is to take on a “side hustle”—extra work in your desired field that you can do on your off time. Often this work can be expanded over time and lead to a fulfilling career that also provides adequately for your household. A study by ESC.com found that even learning a new skill for work can boost self-confidence and improve mental health, which means even exploring a career change can yield positive benefits to your wellbeing.
Help others constantly. The Bible confirms this connection between our lives and serving others in 1 Peter 4:10-11: “As each has received a gift, use it to serve one another, as good stewards of God’s varied grace: whoever speaks, as one who speaks oracles of God; whoever serves, as one who serves by the strength that God supplies—in order that in everything God may be glorified through Jesus Christ.” The call to serve others is everywhere, from the checkout screen asking if you want to “round up” your purchase as a charitable donation, to your church’s endless calls for volunteers.
But the research on this is undeniable—people who regularly help others are indeed happier. According to Time Magazine, “Through fMRI technology, we now know that giving activates the same parts of the brain that are stimulated by food and sex. Experiments show evidence that altruism is hardwired in the brain—and it’s pleasurable. Helping others may just be the secret to living a life that is not only happier but also healthier, wealthier, more productive, and meaningful. There is a relatively recent body of research on telomeres, the end-caps of our genes, which shows that long-term stress not only shortens these end-caps, it can also lead to an earlier death. So developing a positive emotional state, offering your time, a warm smile, an empathic touch, may increase the likelihood of you sticking around a while longer.
A career change can significantly improve your life satisfaction. Putting your feet in the right shoes at work can also strengthen relations and emotional health.
Time author Jenni Santi comments, “The gift of time is often more valuable to the receiver and more satisfying for the giver than the gift of money. We don’t all have the same amount of money, but we all do have time on our hands, and can give some of this time to help others—whether that means we devote our lifetimes to service, or just give a few hours each day or a few days a year.” Maybe one reason the Bible often speaks of service to others as a core value for people of faith is that we are literally wired by our Creator to serve.
Determine that you will invest time in serving others. Then consider what you may do and how you can do it. Your expertise and experience are available—you may choose to mentor someone in your field, or mentor a younger man in life, marriage and family. Perhaps you are financially stable or have experience in business and legal matters—that could benefit a nonprofit organization that needs to stretch their dollars and minimize red tape. Or maybe your service is best done as a complete diversion from the stress of life and work—serve in a soup kitchen, mow yards for the elderly, pet-sit for a neighbor, or go shopping for a shut-in. Your local church or community center can help you with options for volunteering and serving in your area.
Google “happiness” and you’ll find psychologists have written lists of many activities and pursuits that lead people toward happiness. You may be surprised to learn that work more, build more and make more aren’t on any of their lists. But these three pursuits—close friends, doing what you love, and helping others—are on every “happiness” list in some form. These character traits together are those of an optimist. These kinds of people focus not on things that they believe will make them happy in their possession. Rather they focus on activities that bring happiness through the doing.
Living as the optimist. Winston Churchill once said, “A pessimist sees the difficulty in every opportunity; an optimist sees the opportunity in every difficulty.” Optimism is a hopeful attitude about the future, or the ability to see the successful outcome to something. To many psychologists, optimism reflects the belief that the outcomes of events or experiences will generally be positive. Optimists are likely to see the causes of failure or negative experiences as temporary rather than permanent, specific rather than global, and external rather than internal.
Such a perspective enables optimists to more easily see the possibility of change. The pursuit of happiness is, in part, a positive journey through continuous, sometimes unpredictable change. And ultimately this is what moves you along the road toward happiness—seeing and embracing change in your own life. Over time, those adjustments become your life pursuit. May you find happiness not as a destination, but as a lingering journey of moments throughout your life and work that brings you continuous joy.
