Having practiced as a psychologist for over 26 years, it is clear to me that most of us have been sold a lie; a lie that is growing in its number of dedicated believers; a lie that will likely increase the chances that our children and grandchildren will experience even higher levels of depression and anxiety.

Put simply, the lie is that happiness comes as a result of increasing and sustaining as much personal pleasure as possible.

The acceptance of this definition of happiness has left many people struggling with no purpose, no meaning, and nothing to focus on beyond their own personal feelings.

One of my favorite books, Man’s Search for Meaning, dismisses the utility in this myth and provides a compelling alternative.  The author is psychiatrist/neurologist Viktor Frankl, and he used his experience as a Holocaust survivor to develop and test his theories.

Frankl found that joy could be found in the most stressful and horrendous environments.  He wrote:

Everything can be taken from a man but one thing, the last of the human freedoms – to choose one’s attitude in any given set of circumstances, to choose one’s own way.

It is the very pursuit of happiness that thwarts happiness.

Frankl developed a theory that has since been tested and confirmed. The theory differentiates “happiness” (that is short lived) with “meaningful life” (that is lasting and transcends life’s circumstances).

He and other researchers don’t dismiss the ideal of “happiness.” In fact, we need to embrace happiness when we experience it. However, it’s the single-minded pursuit of happiness without meaning that turns out to be a dismal dead end.

So you may be asking, “What does this have to do with recruiting?”

In my next WorkPuzzle, we’ll discuss the dynamics of considering a new career.  As you might have guessed, only the “pursuit of meaning” will cause a person to make a lasting change.

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