My goals, then, are to be more aware of the diminishing returns to pursuing “greatness,” and to be more forgiving of myself when I fail.

Beyond success—to be the best, to be “great” (whatever that means) requires some level of obsession. The best rock skippers in the world don’t stop when they feel satisfied—they keep practicing until they are sweaty, and sore, and then they keep on skipping.

So no, I don’t think I want to be happy. More precisely, I don’t want to be happy as much as... See more