Happiness is the thing that everyone wants to achieve. But our mistake as humans is chasing happiness instead of living life and letting happiness find us. This has been the trap people have fallen into for thousands of years and will continue to. But you always have the opportunity to turn things around and become one of the happy people.
But people have a hard time living in the present because it goes against everything we’ve ever been taught. Since we were small, our parents told us that we needed to plan our future. Otherwise, our lives won’t have meaning. Of course, this socially imposed trade-off scares most people. Thus, it forced them to start living just for the future. We believe that we will never find happiness unless we can get that dream job or build a perfect family.
But that’s false. Happiness is and has always been subjective. Even though society tells us that having a stable, traditional life will make us happy, that doesn’t apply to everyone. Some people find pure happiness in traveling or giving back to their communities. But we can’t find that true happiness because we are always chasing happiness. We are chasing an ideal that will never happen in reality. If you want a better, more fulfilled life, allow happiness to find you.
What Is True Happiness?
If you take some time to reflect, you’ll see that the moments that made you truly happy were the unplanned ones. You were probably happier when someone gave you a thoughtful gift than you were when you got that promotion you were working towards. That’s because you cannot force joy. Sure, you’ll feel good when you’ll get promoted. But chasing happiness taints the experiences you go through.
True happiness comes from within. It’s when you are entirely at peace with who you are and what your life looks like. It can’t be dependent on external factors. That’s why dreams and aspirations can even stop you from achieving true happiness. Because it sets a standard, you won’t be happy if you fail to meet it. People are taught that happiness is a final destination. That once you tick certain boxes, you reach true happiness.
But the journey you are on gives this feeling. You might find that you are happier when you’re working on a project than when you finish it. It’s also impossible to feel satisfied all the time. And it would be best if you didn’t strive towards that either. If all you ever think is happiness, it will lose its essence. Over time, joy will turn into numbness. We only feel happy because we can compare it to the sadness and pain we once felt.
How to Stop Chasing Happiness and Let it Find You?
If not for those negative emotions, happiness wouldn’t mean anything. If you’ve never been sick, you’ll never be grateful that you’re healthy. Most people also fall into the trap of believing that the traditional view of a good life will bring them joy. All their worries will disappear if they get a high-paying job and a lovely house. But chasing happiness of that kind is more likely to bring you disappointment.
More likely than not, you won’t be able to materialize what you visualize in your head. And that’s not because you aren’t good enough. It’s because there aren’t enough upper management jobs and white-picket fence houses for everyone. Plus, many people would hate to end up living that …
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