Filed under: life
I’ve been thinking about happiness lately. How much I have, how much I share, what makes me happy.
I’ve come to the following conclusions: I’ve got a lot, I try to give a lot, and a lot makes me happy.
I’ve also started thinking about the people I know–the happy ones, the not-so happy, and the ones that seem to revel in disappointment. The difference? All of the truly happy people I know are happy because they want to be, whereas the people who seem to somehow find disappointment in all aspects of their life either don’t want to be or don’t know how to be. They’re content with consequential happiness, the type that comes only as the result of circumstance (i.e., a promotion, a relationship moving forward, a dream that has been realized).
That’s not happiness.
That’s mere satisfaction.
When we behave like this, when we act as though happiness is something owed to us once we’ve achieved something great, we miss out on the opportunity to find joy inside ourselves, something to make and enjoy and share. We miss out on living.
This isn’t to say that happiness that is brought about by circumstance isn’t authentic. It definitely is. But the thing that made us happy, whatever it was, won’t last. It’s greatness, it’s newness, will fade with time, with each new great thing that happens, seemingly better than the last.
Today, make your own happiness. Share it.
