Fortune Cookie Friday: Be Happy Without Fame, Money, Power, & Pleasure

One of my favorite cartoon characters is Tex Avery’s Basset Hound, Droopy. I enjoyed watching his antics on Saturday mornings. He wasn’t much to look at and had a deadpan attitude, but he was shrewd enough to outwit his enemies. I especially looked forward to his signature phrase, “You know what? I’m happy.”

Something about that phrase stuck in my brain as a child and fed me through life. But what is happiness? How do we find it?

The antagonists in the Droopy cartoons were always looking for the same things: money, fame, power, and pleasure. These are also called the “Four Idols.”

St. Thomas Aquinas, a priest from the 1200s, talked about how these idols can distract us from God and real happiness. Most of us chase after them without even thinking. We make a lot of choices based on wanting money, power, or approval. But even when we get close to these things, they don’t really satisfy us. Chasing them just leaves us wanting more.

We won’t find genuine happiness by chasing these things over and over. They’re always around us, but we don’t have to let them control our lives. So where can we find true happiness?

While searching for an answer to this question, I came across a post by Dr. Arthur Brooks, Harvard professor and author of The Happiness Files.

Brooks said, “We are wired to chase money, power, pleasure, and fame because they help us rise in the group. But happiness doesn’t come from rising. It comes from faith, family, friendship, and work that serves.”

We find happiness in our faith. The hope it brings gives us the momentum to get through difficult times and be thankful during good times. We can strengthen our faith by reading the scriptures, attending church or temple, and living a humble life.

Strong family bonds offer us support and comfort. By spending time with our family, we can keep a strong connection and open communication. Enjoy meals together each day, and share stories of our ups and downs.

Friendships don’t have to be many, but they should be deep and meaningful to help guide us in the world. We should look for people who are honest and trustworthy, but we need to be the same if we want to find great friends.

Serving with purpose helps others around us and brings us closer to God. We don’t have to perform huge tasks. All we need to do is recognize when others need help and offer them some of our time and energy with a smile and an open heart.

All of these things grow as we work on ourselves and share what we have to offer. Happiness doesn’t come from outside sources. It starts inside us, in our own hearts.

So next time you find yourself chasing fame, fortune, power, or pleasure, pause and look within. You already have happiness inside you—share it with others. You know what? You can be happy too.