Our culture is obsessed with happiness, but what if there's a more fulfilling path? Happiness comes and goes, says writer Emily Esfahani Smith, but having meaning in life -- serving something beyond yourself and developing the best within you -- gives you something to hold onto. Learn more about the difference between being happy and having meaning as Smith offers four pillars of a meaningful life.

Emily Esfahani Smith: There's more to life than being happy

There's more to life than being happy

Chasing happiness can paradoxically lead to unhappiness; finding meaning, through connection, purpose, and storytelling, offers solace.

Belonging, purpose, transcendence, and storytelling are vital for a meaningful life, more enduring than the fleeting nature of happiness.

In moments of profound joy or sorrow, it's the pursuit of meaning, not happiness, that provides us with a steadfast anchor in life.

*The Power of Meaning: Finding Fulfillment in a World Obsessed with Happiness*