Chapter 3 The Pursuit of Happiness

There was once a group of 100 people attending a seminar on personal development.

In the middle of their talk, the speaker stops and decides to run an impromptu group activity. He hands out a balloon to each attendee and tells them to write their name on it.

The balloons are then collected and placed in an adjacent room.

The speaker then instructs the 100 attendees to enter that room and, within 5 short minutes, find the balloon with their name on it.

Pandemonium breaks loose as they charge in, pushing and colliding with each other as they desperately search for their name.

The 5 minutes pass and nobody succeeds.

The speaker then tells each person to pick up any random balloon and give it the person whose name is written on it. Within a few minutes everyone has their balloon back.

He then said, "What just happened with those balloons is exactly what happens in our search for happiness. We frantically look for it all around us, not knowing where it is."

"Yet our happiness lies in the happiness of others. By giving them their happiness, you get yours."

Moral of the story:

Happiness and fulfilment rarely come from selfish pursuits, but almost always come from doing good deeds for others. By helping others we help ourselves.