Learn from Dwight

That's where I stashed the chandelier.

Rainn Wilson, who played Dwight Schrute on the iconic series The Office, is famous, wealthy, and beloved by millions, yet he says that at the height of his success he felt miserable. He had a nagging feeling that, even with all he had, he ought to have more. Here’s how he put it in a conversation with comedian Bill Maher:

When I was in The Office, I spent several years really mostly unhappy because it wasn’t enough. I’m realizing now, like, I’m on a hit show, Emmy nominated every year, making lots of money . . . People love it. I wasn’t enjoying it. I was thinking about, “Why am I not a movie star? Why am I not the next Jack Black or the next Will Ferrell? How come I can’t have a movie career? [. . .] It was never enough.

It’s a classic dopamine experience. Whatever satisfying things we already possess, dopamine points beyond the here and now to say, This thing you don’t yet have? This is the real key to happiness. Go get it!