Wardroom Training – The fools quest for Happiness

Every week the officers in our command get together and spend 30 minutes on personal and professional development training. It is a time of discussion where we view a short video or read a short article and then discuss how we can use that information to make our selves better, our command better, and our Navy better; in that order. The training also gives me the opportunity to share my thoughts and prospective from my 20 years of experience.

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Last weeks officer training was on the 4 minute video “Jordan Peterson on Happiness”. Jordan is a Canadian clinical psychologist and public intellectual who has some really remarkable and transforming things to say on the fools quest for happiness.

There are many circumstances in life where happiness is not only the wrong response but also where the expectation of happiness as a response will put you, the person attempting to be happy, in absolutely the wrong psychological state to be prepared for what must be done.

Questions for Discussion:

• With all the pop culture wisdom around, does this change your view on happiness?
• Is happiness really the ideal emotion? Would we really want to be happy all the time?
• Why did you join the Navy? To be happy? or was it for something bigger?

If you have an additional article or video along with discussion points for officer training please contact me and I will post.