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Not chasing happiness
“It is the very pursuit of happiness, that thwarts happiness.”
- Viktor Frankl
We can pursue happiness, but it makes it difficult to enjoy life if we are always in pursuit of something and unable to enjoy the pursuit. Happiness should not be a destination we arrive at or a feeling we need to chase. Happiness should be the feeling we experience while we are in the pursuit of our goals and living the best life available to us. We have all heard the cliché about life not being so much about the destination, but rather the journey. The same goes for happiness. It should not be a fixed point on a timeline. It should be a flowing feeling we can access at will.
That is not to say we should not be pursuing the things that have the potential to bring us happiness. We should absolutely be in pursuit of the things that bring us joy, but we should not have to sacrifice our wellbeing in the process. Happiness should not be a goal we set out to achieve. Happiness should be a feeling we experience while we are in the process of accomplishing and attaining our goals. We should be excited and hopeful. We should feel grateful for the opportunity to improve our quality of life.
The biggest downfall with chasing happiness is that it can be elusive. There is not always a happy ending in store. Sometimes, we will be faced with disappointment or loss…
