One of the fundamental principles that I teach at The Academy of Stress Mastery is that the goal in life is not to FEEL GOOD, but rather to DO GOOD. I learned this powerful principle from author and talk show host Dennis Prager.
Doing good leads to lasting fulfillment. Feeling good leads to temporary pleasure.
Doing good leads to greater goodness in the world. Feeling good has no effect on creating a better world.
Doing good leads to personal mastery. Feeling good leads to personal indulgence.
Doing what feels good most often leads to incredibly self-indulgent behavior, sadly indicative of the narcissism and self-absorption that characterizes so much of our modern day culture, which is perniciously anemic in wisdom.
Doing what results in good, however, is what creates a better world and doing good represents a wisdom-based, character-rich approach to living that takes the needs of others into account.
This foundational principle of living a good life is summarized in what I call the “Stress Mastery Mission Statement:” which says,
“The ultimate purpose of all stress mastery is not to retreat from problems in life nor to make them magically disappear, but rather in the process of overcoming them, to grow in wisdom, character, contribution and goodness.”