Of all the areas of your life to live with paradox, it seems ambition is the biggest bitch! While self help gurus, business wisdom and even the Jeffersonian “Pursuit” of it, does “Happiness” really fit in a life of meaning?

Sages, yogis and the like have always extolled the virtues of “Living in the moment” and “Giving freely” to travel the road of happiness, but can you really do so if your ambition (or calling if you prefer) is a life of “Meaning” instead?

Recently, a TV character put it into perspective for me:

“A life of happiness is living in the moment without baggage from the past or anxiety for the future. A life of meaning involves constantly examining your past to continue to shape your future. So, either you choose a life of happiness or you choose a life of meaning. You can’t have both!”

Of course! I’ve always known It’s the pissed off people who change the world! Doh!