But there’s another meaning of happiness that’s radically different: the experience of living a rich and meaningful life. When we clarify what we stand for in life and start acting accordingly—behaving like the sort of person we really want to be, doing the things that matter deep in our hearts, moving in life directions we consider worthy—then our lives become infused with meaning and purpose, and we experience a profound sense of vitality. This is not some fleeting feeling—it is a powerful sense of a life well lived. The ancient Greek word for this type of happiness is eudemonia, these days
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When we live our lives in this way, we will, for sure, have many pleasurable feelings; and we’ll also have many difficult ones, like sorrow, anxiety, and guilt. (As I said before, if we live a full human life, we will feel the full range of human emotions.)
