I once read a book called "Way of the Peaceful Warrior" by Dan Millman when I was around 21. The story's main character is a young man who is a college-level gymnast. It begins as he is going through his trials and tribulations as a university student- dealing with his studies, training, and relationships. He especially has challenges meeting his own lofty expectations and puts a lot of pressure on himself.

At one point, he meets an older gentleman who works at a gas station. To his eye, this guy lives a very ordinary life and there is nothing of particular interest going on. However, this guy acts in sort of a bizarre way and catches the main character's attention. They eventually begin talking and spending time together.

The older guy begins asking the main character some penetrating and unexpected questions, and he is forced to reflect and reconsider some of his opinions. Over the course of the story, his views of what he thought his life was all about and what would make him satisfied begin to break down. His approach to his studies, training, and everything shift towards an emphasis on presence rather than waiting for a certain outcome to be satisfied. Towards the end, he begins to notice in his friends that they're constant "waiting for the day I'll be happy" is actually a bit silly and contrary to what life could actually be.

The eccentric guy from the gas station gradually takes things further and begins introducing spiritual concepts from the East- such as "satori". He says that the only reason that Dan (the main character's name, which is based on the author of the book), enjoys certain activities is that they bring him into an intense state of presense, which can also give rise to intense bliss/happiness. He goes to the extreme and says that the ultimate "goal of life" is to be in this state as much as possible without needing much to get there.

The main character, a lot like me at the time, saw this proposition as confusing and contrary to how we had been taught to approach becoming satisfied in our lives. However, certain experiences begin to break down the mental confusion and allow more space for an actually better understanding. The main character has many such experiences and is able to do better in his involvements than ever before without needing to pin his happiness to achieving particular outcomes. He just focuses and prepares well when it's time to.

This book is full of paradoxes but is a profound story that definitely changed how I look at what would bring me happiness and satisfaction.