Originally posted in our May 2021 Top of Mind Newsletter.
I never, indeed, wavered in the conviction that happiness is the test of all rules of conduct, and the end of life. But I now thought that this end was only to be attained by not making it the direct end. Those only are happy (I thought) who have their minds fixed on some object other than their own happiness; on the happiness of others, on the improvement of mankind, even on some art or pursuit, followed not as a means, but as itself an ideal end. Aiming thus at something else, they find happiness by the way.
–John Stuart Mill
J.S. Mills’ quote (referenced in John Kay’s talk on obliquity), shows us how the indirect path is often the best way to achieve a complex goal, while also tapping into a fundamental human truth. The best path towards our own happiness is in fact to focus on others’ needs. We believe that this is a critical component of an entrepreneurial mindset.
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