In a hurry? TL;DR
- 1Success is achieving external goals, while happiness is internal contentment with what you have.
- 2Recognize that achieving goals doesn't guarantee lasting satisfaction (hedonic treadmill).
- 3Cultivate happiness by appreciating your current reality and practicing gratitude.
- 4Separate ambition for future success from contentment with present circumstances.
- 5Shift focus from 'more' to 'enough' by defining what constitutes sufficiency.
- 6Value your time over wealth, as prioritizing experiences often leads to greater happiness.
Why It Matters
This idea is fascinating because it suggests true contentment comes not from achieving more, but from appreciating what we already have.
Success is the achievement of an external goal, while happiness is the internal state of contentment with your current reality. This distinction suggests that while the pursuit of success is an outbound journey, happiness is a process of curation and appreciation.
- Success is objective and goal-oriented; happiness is subjective and perspective-driven.
- The quote highlights the hedonic treadmill, where achieving goals rarely leads to permanent satisfaction.
- Wanting what you have is the foundational principle of stoicism and modern gratitude practices.
- W.P. Kinsella, best known for Field of Dreams, used this framing to separate professional ambition from personal peace.
Why It Matters: Understanding this distinction prevents the common trap of believing that the next promotion or purchase will finally trigger a state of lasting well-being.
The Gap Between Achieving and Appreciating
Most people treat success and happiness as synonyms. W.P. Kinsella’s observation creates a sharp wedge between them. Success is the hunt. It is the tactical acquisition of status, wealth, or specific outcomes. It requires a forward-looking gaze and a certain level of dissatisfaction with the present.
Happiness, by contrast, is the ability to cease the hunt. It is the psychological act of validating your current environment. This mirrors the concept of Arrival Fallacy, a term coined by Dr. Tal Ben-Shahar, which describes the mistaken belief that reaching a horizon will provide sustained joy.
Kinsella, an author who wrote extensively about the magic of the mundane in baseball, understood that the glory of the game (success) was fleeting compared to the love of the grass and the dirt (happiness). In contrast to the ruthless ambition often celebrated in Western capitalistic structures, this quote suggests that happiness is actually a form of disciplined wanting.
Comparing Ambition and Contentment
While success is often measured against the progress of others, happiness is measured against your own expectations. Researchers at the University of British Columbia have found that people who value time over money tend to be happier, effectively choosing to want what they have (their time) over what they could get (more wealth).
Practical Applications
- The Re-evaluation: Periodically list your current assets and achievements, consciously acknowledging them as things you once desired but now possess.
- Threshold Setting: Define what enough looks like for a project to prevent the goalposts from moving as soon as you find success.
- Gratitude Audits: Shift focus from the gap between where you are and where you want to be toward the value of your current station.
Interesting Connections
The sentiment aligns closely with the 2,000-year-old philosophy of Stoicism. Epictetus argued that wealth consists not in having great possessions, but in having few wants. It also touches on the economics of diminishing marginal utility, where the twentieth unit of success provides significantly less joy than the first.
Can you be successful without being happy?
Yes. Success is a measure of output or acquisition. One can achieve high status while remaining perpetually dissatisfied because their desire for the next level remains unchecked.
Does wanting what you have mean you should stop being ambitious?
No. It suggests that your well-being should not be contingent on future acquisitions. You can pursue higher goals while simultaneously finding value in your current state.
Who originated this specific phrasing?
While the sentiment is ancient, the specific phrasing is widely attributed to W.P. Kinsella, though it is often misattributed to Dale Carnegie or various motivational speakers.
Key Takeaways
- Success is getting: It is an act of taking or reaching.
- Happiness is wanting: It is an act of choosing and appreciating.
- The two are independent variables; you can have one without the other, or ideally, both.
- Lasting contentment relies on the mastery of desire rather than the accumulation of prizes.
Related Content:
- The Hedonic Treadmill: Why your new car won't make you happy
- Stoicism for the modern professional
- The science of gratitude and neuroplasticity
Historical Context
This quote, attributed to Canadian author W.P. Kinsella, best known for his novel 'Shoeless Joe' which was adapted into the film 'Field of Dreams', encapsulates a profound philosophical distinction often debated in self-help literature and psychology. Kinsella, through his writings, frequently explored themes of aspiration, nostalgia, and the search for meaning, making this concise observation a cornerstone of his reflective insights. It emerged in an era where societal pressures often conflated material achievement with intrinsic well-being, challenging conventional notions of fulfilment.
Meaning & Interpretation
The quote suggests that success is typically defined by external achievements – obtaining goals, wealth, or status. It's about 'getting' something desired. Happiness, however, is a more internal state, stemming not from external acquisition but from contentment with one's current circumstances. It's about 'wanting' what one already possesses. Essentially, it posits that while success is about reaching a destination, happiness is about appreciating the journey and the present moment, implying that true contentment comes from a shift in perspective rather than persistent striving.
When to Use This Quote
This quote is highly relevant when discussing life goals, personal fulfilment, or the pursuit of well-being. It's excellent for presentations or discussions on mindfulness, stoicism, or gratitude practices, illustrating how appreciating the present can lead to greater contentment than constantly chasing future achievements. It can also be used to challenge the often-held belief that material success automatically leads to happiness, providing a framework for understanding why many successful individuals may still feel unfulfilled. It's a useful prompt for coaching sessions focused on work-life balance.
