Life, liberty and the pursuit of happiness is a phrase all of us have heard or are familiar with. The American dream is built on the idea that everyone has the right to these three notions with heavy emphasis on the happiness part.
People are obsessed with seeking happiness. There are tons of How-to books, videos, and podcasts that come up with a quick google search offering black and white answers to this loaded question. These answers aren’t necessarily wrong, they’re just not flexible, which can lead others who don’t resonate with certain practices or ideologies lost.
Achieving or rather experiencing happiness is subjective. It’s unique to each person.
Different upbringings lead to different perspectives which leads to different opinions on how to experience true happiness. Finding happiness is a personal and unique journey that can take some trial and error to discover, so a one size fits all mindset is not the way to go.
By definition, Happiness is “the state of being happy” which leaves the way to evoke this state up to the individual person. So instead of the question being “How to find happiness?”, it’s “What makes me happy?”. Finding the answer to that question makes life much more exciting because instead of trying to make yourself fulfilled with someone else’s cookie cutter template, you’re taking the time to follow your own unique path where things that fulfill you reveal itself.
In one of my favorite books titled “The Alchemist” where Paulo Coelho shares a tale about a boy in search of his treasure who is guided by omens and wise mentors that give great insight on the ways of the world. One of his mentors, the boy’s heart, once said “Unfortunately, very few follow the path laid out for them — the path to their Personal Legend, and to happiness.” This couldn’t ring more true to the way our society is conditioned to follow a manufactured path to happiness.
There are many avenues to happiness for different people which is how it was designed to be. If we were all destined to the same path to obtain happiness, we would all be stuck in one place because the path would be too crowded. In the words of Robert Frost, “Take the road less traveled” and find what makes you happy.
Although happiness is unique to each person, there is one indisputable fact: happiness can’t be found out there; it’s found within.
The pursuit of happiness, of lasting and fulfilling happiness dwells inside ourselves. In other words, things outside of ourselves are fleeting and won’t grant us with that happiness we’re seeking. The happiness we are seeking comes from a deep sense of self, gratitude, and love.
In the pursuit of your happiness, remember these truths because they’ll only bring you closer to pure happiness.
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