On Wholeness, Service, and Enduring Happiness | Stephanie Harrison

"It’s not your fault if you are unhappy. 

You have been told three lies: 

1. You’re not good enough; 
2. You need to achieve fame, wealth, and power; 
3. You need to do it all on your own."

These are the words of Stephanie Harrison - author, past Director of Learning at Thrive Global, and expert in the science of happiness.

In her new book: 

New Happy: Getting Happiness Right in a World That’s Got it Wrong 

She calls these three lies that emerged in her research,

The Old Happy. 

Old Happy is a definition of happiness, that our society has bought into.

Yet Stephanie argues it's making so many of us miserable.

Rather than continue to follow this narrative,

Clinging to the hope that it will make us happy someday,

Stephanie invites us to consider an alternative path that she uncovered through her research into what makes us happy.

It’s a path that researchers, theologians, contemplative traditions, and philosophers have all pointed to .

A path leading to a more enduring, sustainable form of happiness. 

The first step on that path is to

Discover who you really are.

The second step?

Use it to help other people.

Today we’ll take a deep dive into these two invitations, what Stephanie calls "The New Happy."

In the first half this conversation Stephanie and I will unpack not only how we might approach answering the question:

Who are we really? 

But we'll also look at how we might embrace the answers - Integrating all aspects of who we are (our whole self) as we cultivate a healthy sense of self worth in the process.

In the second half we’ll look at:

How we can approach our work from a place of greater authenticity and love - 

Including the art of aligning our unique strengths, gifts, and what we care about most, with the ways in which we serve.

Stephanie offers a beautiful reminder 

That when we come home to who we truly are

And then use our unique gifts to serve

An entirely different experience of life opens up. 

And we just might find the happiness we’ve been looking for all along. 

For more on Stephanie, her book, podcast, and other resources please visit thenewhappy.com

Did you find this episode inspiring? Here are other conversations we think you'll love:

• On Unwinding Toxic Productivity | Israa Nasir
• On Imperfectionism and the Art of Living Well | Oliver Burkeman

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