Is achievement counterproductive?

I just read a great blog post by Ryan Norbauer on 43Folders called "Death and Underachievement: A Guide to Happiness in Work." It is definitely something that all you overachievers might find interesting...among everyone else for that matter.

Ryan takes the stance that achievement, particularly over-achievement, might not be the key to happiness and may cause more stress and more work in the long run.

He questions what we are supposed to be doing on earth while we are here "What is the ultimate summit we expect to reach? And if we can’t answer this question, why do we exert ourselves as if we're heading towards one?"

In conclusion: "There is no despair when we truly confront the empty promises of achievement—and view our work and accomplishments in the light of that insight. We don’t give up and shake our fists at the unfeeling universe and embrace total idleness. Nor do we ignore the awesome preciousness of the life and time that chance has bestowed upon us. We try to be nice, have a little fun, and expand our awareness of the world we live in. We do the best work we can, but we don’t fret when we fail, nor do we jeopardize the quality of our work—or the happiness of our days—by bowing to the pressure to take on more than we can handle."

Full blog post: www.43folders.com/2007/12/31/death-and-underachievement-guide-happiness-work