Today’s highly interconnected society places incredibly high value on those whose actions benefit or have benefitted others. “Pay it forward” and “one-for-one” companies such as Toms, where a pair of shoes is donated to a person in need for every pair purchased, have become increasingly trendy and successful on a global scale; stories of random acts of kindness, unusually thoughtful actions or particularly compassionate people go viral with the simple click of a mouse on social networks such as Facebook and Twitter. Children are taught from kindergarten to be kind to others, share what they have, and, above all, never be selfish. Our society’s high regard for this “always help others” mindset has, subsequently, eclipsed the arguably more important reality: our achievements do not necessarily need to benefit anyone other than ourselves in order to make us truly happy.

    Undoubtedly, contributing to the happiness or well-being of another person or group of people is extremely fulfilling, whether from running a food drive to donating old clothing to presenting a homemade gift to a loved one. It is certainly true that in many instances, achievements or actions that primarily benefit others do subsequently bring happiness to its initiators. This does not, however, imply that self-serving achievements cannot bring true happiness; indeed, there is something to be said for the simple happiness that comes as a result of teaching oneself a new skill, finishing another day of school or work or treating oneself for no good reason at all.

    Receiving a high score on a difficult test does not directly benefit anyone other than the hypothetical test taker, yet this accomplishment can certainly bring the test taker a real sense of triumph, pride and joy. These small and private victories should be celebrated and should bring as much happiness as any other-serving achievement.

    Furthermore, on a higher level, pursuing personal goals and interests despite the differing opinions of others can often be especially liberating and rewarding. By freeing ourselves of the “responsibility” of ensuring that our actions are approved by and beneficial for our peers, we can more easily find happiness in the fulfillment of our own goals and plans.

    From being accepted to a high corporate position to studying a fascinating field to being elected the nation’s next president, achieving such goals first brings happiness and gratification in exchange for hard work or daring actions, and then perhaps benefits to others. Happiness resulting from the conquest of obstacles, dedicated work or courageous behavior, while perhaps not beneficial to anyone else, can be just as genuine and well-deserved as that which results from perhaps seemingly more generous actions.

    It is in this way that achievements do not necessarily need to benefit others in order to bring true happiness. Small-scale personal triumphs and large-scale self-serving accomplishments can, in fact, bring just as much joy as selfless actions can through the simple pleasure of overcoming obstacles and liberating oneself of others’ opinions.