What Is the Real Currency of a Fulfilling Life?

What is your ultimate goal in life? Take a moment and really think about what you’re striving for today. Now, ask yourself why that is your goal. Once you have an answer, ask yourself again: but why? If you follow this chain of reasoning to its end, you’ll likely arrive at the same conclusion most people do—we are all, on our own unique paths, simply trying to find what will make us happier.

A fascinating concept in psychology breaks happiness down into three distinct types. The first is Pleasure, the fleeting high we get from external stimuli. It’s the constant chase for more, but the feeling vanishes the moment the source is gone. This is often associated with hedonic well-being. The second is Passion, that state of "flow" where you're so absorbed in an activity that time seems to disappear. It’s a state of high efficiency and deep engagement, a key component of eudaimonic well-being. The third, and most profound, is a Higher Purpose. This provides the most enduring sense of happiness, the feeling of being part of something larger and more important than yourself.

The great irony is that chasing pleasures will never lead to the other, deeper forms of happiness. In fact, the path works in reverse. A lasting, meaningful life begins with a higher purpose, is fueled by passion, and is then sprinkled with moments of simple pleasure. This is more than a theory; it's a blueprint that helped a fledgling startup, in which only a few people believed, grow into a company acquired by Amazon for an incredible $1.2 billion.

When Millions Aren't Enough

After building his first impressive startup, an advertising platform, the founder Tony Hsieh and his partner were offered a million dollars for it in just five months. They refused. Later, they refused an offer of $20 million. As the company grew at a breakneck pace, a strange emptiness set in. Tony no longer knew his employees by face, and a lack of a shared culture led to high turnover. When the company was finally sold to Microsoft for $265 million, the expected joy of becoming a millionaire was absent. Instead, there was a powerful realization: it was time to stop chasing money and start searching for something that could genuinely inspire him.

In 1999, an idea came his way: an online store for shoes. At first, it sounded absurd. But a single fact forced a re-evaluation: the shoe market was already worth $2 billion. People weren't going to stop buying shoes. Tony saw that the founders, Nick and Fred, possessed the essential qualities for success: they were deeply inspired by the idea and were ready to risk their stable incomes for a dream. Despite this, investors saw no potential in a shoe startup. Seeing their passion and the market's potential, Tony and his partner began funding several startups themselves, including the little shoe company they renamed Zappos.

But the money ran out quickly, and doubts began to creep in. To prove everyone wrong and to follow this new sense of purpose, Tony Hsieh shed his investor skin and stepped in to lead Zappos himself.

Resilience in the Face of Failure

The company was bleeding money, and the exodus of employees who didn't believe in the vision began. Only the most loyal remained, with Tony even providing them free housing in his own property. With marketing costs slashed to save money, they were forced to focus on providing incredible service to their existing customers. It was only then that Tony realized this should have been the starting point all along.

To be seen as a legitimate store by suppliers, they needed their own warehouse. Tony secretly sold all of his remaining real estate to fund it. The company's turnover began to climb, but the business was still running on fumes. Then, disaster struck. A truck carrying their goods overturned, resulting in a half-million-dollar loss. Soon after, it became clear their new warehouse partner couldn't handle the inventory, leading to angry customers and logistical chaos.

The lesson was simple but expensive: no one will perform key functions for your company better than you will yourself. The team found their own warehouse, one from which they could deliver to seventy percent of their customers within two days. As the business stabilized, it became clear that to build a truly great and resilient company, they needed a mission far more unifying than just "making money."

Culture as a Competitive Advantage

With a large loan finally secured, the company could shift from surviving to thriving. Tony reflected on the future. He didn't want to be in the business of just selling shoes; he wanted to build a business centered on customer service and a profound respect for people—not just customers, but employees and partners, too. This pivot became the engine of their explosive growth and finally attracted the investors who had once turned them away.

Zappos built its legacy on three long-term competitive advantages that couldn't be easily copied:

• Customer Service: While many companies cut costs on service, Zappos made it their core identity. Their call center is open 24/7, and employees work without scripts, encouraged to solve problems and connect with customers, no matter how long it takes. They introduced a 365-day free return policy and celebrated "wow" stories of exceptional service. They also valued their employees enough to refuse service to abusive customers. The best marketing, they proved, is a happy customer sharing their story.
• Employee Development: Zappos prioritized cultural fit over raw experience, refusing to hire skilled specialists if their values didn't align. Every new hire, regardless of their role, went through the same initial training as a customer service specialist. The company fostered a culture of constant, small improvements, knowing that a tiny contribution from each of its thousands of employees would lead to massive positive change.
• Corporate Culture: This was their ultimate advantage. Culture wasn't a list of slogans on a wall; it was the sum of the people who lived and breathed the company's values every single day. If Zappos ever had to choose between short-term profit and its values, it would always choose its values. Just as a person's fate is shaped by their personal values, a business's stability is determined by its corporate values. Their brand became their culture. A team united by a shared vision is the foundation for the happiness of everyone involved.

If you are looking for your own inspiration, remember Tony Hsieh's simple advice. Constantly ask yourself the big questions. Understand your core values, define your higher purpose, and then find the passions and pleasures that support it. The feeling of happiness isn't a luxury; it's the most essential resource you have.

For Further Reading

• Seligman, M. E. P. (2011). Flourish: A Visionary New Understanding of Happiness and Well-being.

  This work by one of the founders of positive psychology expands on the science of well-being. It introduces the PERMA model (Positive Emotion, Engagement, Relationships, Meaning, and Accomplishment), which provides a scientific framework for the three types of happiness—pleasure (Positive Emotion), passion (Engagement), and higher purpose (Meaning)—discussed in the article. (See Chapters 1 and 2 for the core theory).

• Heskett, J. L. (2011). The Culture Cycle: How to Shape the Unseen Force that Transforms Performance.

  This book provides a compelling argument for how an organization's culture is a primary driver of its long-term success. It directly supports the article's central theme that a strong, values-based culture—like the one built at Zappos—leads to superior customer service, employee engagement, and ultimately, sustainable profitability. (See Part II, "The Four-Part 'Culture Cycle,'" for how culture impacts performance).