The Happiness Conundrum

Searching for Happiness

When you search for happiness, don’t fall for the “if-then” or “when-then” traps … “I’ll be happy if I get that job,” “I’ll be happy when I get that house,” “I’ll be happy if I get that relationship,”, and so many more scenarios that we think about every day.

It’s easy to put your happiness “out there” instead of “right here.” You know what happens when you finally climb to the top of the mountain? There’s another mountain.

That’s the happiness conundrum.

The effective strategy is to enjoy the journey. Find your happy now, here, with what you’ve got, from where you are. You can choose what you focus on. Focus on the things in your life that lift you. That’s the happiness way.

Happiness doesn’t depend on what we have, but it does depend on how we feel toward what we have. We can be happy with little and miserable with much. Being happy is an attitude of mind, born of the simple determination to be happy under all outward circumstances.

Most importantly, remember that it’s the journey and the destination, and sometimes the journey is all we’ve got, so make the most of it. A truly happy person is one who can enjoy the scenery on a detour.

Be wise. Be happy.

Proverbs 3:18 says, “Wisdom is a tree of life to those who embrace her; happy are those who hold her tightly.”