About Contact Podcast

#28: What If Happiness Isn’t the Goal?

What if the goal of this next chapter isn’t simply to be happy?

A recent New York Times opinion piece by Mark Edmundson, “There’s Something Better Than Happiness,” got me thinking about our cultural obsession with comfort—especially as we approach retirement and later adulthood.

I don't agree with everything in the piece. I believe deeply in rest. In doing nothing. In beach chairs, naps, leisurely mornings and afternoons with absolutely nothing productive to show for them.

But I also know that some of the times I've felt most alive haven't been the times I've been most comfortable. They've come when I'm learning, experimenting, making something, solving a problem or stretching myself in a new direction.

I call that productive discomfort.

In this episode, I explore the difference between pleasure and fulfillment—and why I think a rich life has room for both. I also talk about the value of having a “project”: something you've chosen for yourself simply because you're curious about where it might lead.

Your project could be learning Italian. Building a garden. Taking up pottery. Training for a 5K. Volunteering. Starting a podcast. Launching a side hustle.

For me, one of those projects involves 220 peony plants growing in a field in Maine—and not a single bloom to show for it yet.

As I approach retirement myself, I'm realizing that I don't want the next 20 or 30 years to be one long vacation. I want less pressure, certainly. More rest, absolutely.

But I also want curiosity. Challenge. Purpose. Things to look forward to.

In this episode:

  • Why comfort and engagement aren't the same thing
  • My idea of “productive discomfort”
  • The difference between things that feel good and things that make us feel good about our lives
  • Why having a project can give us anticipation, connection and a sense of progress
  • How my own long-term Maine flower project is already adding something meaningful to my life
  • Why a side hustle is only one of many ways to build an interesting, self-directed next chapter

So yes—plan the vacation. Sit on the beach. Read the novel. Take the nap.

Rest is never wasted time. But maybe comfort doesn't have to be the destination.

A question to take with you

Do you have a project right now?

Not a chore or obligation. Something you've chosen because you're curious about where it might lead.

Send me a DM @betsyblockblooms and tell me what you're pursuing. I'd love to cheer you on.

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LINKS + MENTIONS:

Mark Edmundson, “There’s Something Better Than Happiness,” The New York Times

🌟 Grab my freebie:“Ignite Your Spark: 5 Questions to Guide Your Side Hustle Journey”
https://www.betsyblockblooms.com/spark

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