HBS: Happiness Business School

Over the weekend I was my husband’s plus one at his Business School reunion. I was lured into attending with the promise of interesting and informative seminars. I was dubious, but figured a weekend away is always a good idea.

The husband was a little stingy with the intel so my expectation for the seminars was more nasdaq index, market analysis and predictions; so was surprised that when faced with the 10 enticing 11:45am “classes” on offer. Lots of good stuff! Renew Your Life and Work. Can ethics scale in the digital age?  Leading Innovation in turbulent times. Business school is fun! And then at the end of the list – What Really Matters in Leading a Fulfilled Life – Lessons From Studying Lives Over 80 years. Bingo! Found our seminar. 

We casually walked towards the classroom only to be turned away – this class was oversubscribed. The school had to open up three more large classrooms and live stream the presentation to accommodate the demand. We had to stand at the very back of the fourth classroom!

I found this all kinds of fascinating. Here I was with a collection of super smart and savvy high achievers with bank accounts concomitant with their success furiously taking notes as the speaker dispensed his wisdom on how to live a fulfilled life. Quite a few people took photos of each and every slide.

And precisely the same thing happened for the grand finale keynote faculty speech – What makes for a happy and meaningful life? In a tricked out lecture hall that seats 1000, every seat was full. I found this all kinds of hopeful and endearing and equalizing. This is a group that ostensibly and outwardly have it all figured out. This is a group that is nailing life. But fulfillment and happiness? Who does not want more of that? EVERYONE wants more of that including graduates of a certain business school in Boston. And if we are all actively questing for this surely this will result in positive outcomes for the whole.

Again how hopeful and endearing. How human. Made me happy and fulfilled just to experience this. Maybe next I will write about what we as individuals and a group gleaned from each class. You can hope! 

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