For a while now I have been in a constant state of pursuing a goal and making things happen. I am putting in the effort to be outstanding and excellent but nothing is happening.
Happiness is found in progress. I believe fully that you can be happy when you share your gifts, and keep things simple. The pursuit of happiness does not necessarily mean obtaining luxury and riches. Instead, it’s about knowing what you value and how you can savour those values on a daily basis. Happy people do what they love as often as they can. They try to maximize their time with passions or work they care deeply about.
While I love to share my perspective, I should first begin with my story.
I am the eldest sister of 4 sisters. We are very close in age and had to share one bathroom growing up. So I know all about not having space and having to share. Ever since I was old enough to imagine what I would grow up to be, I have wanted to be the boss. I suppose having managed my 3 younger siblings from an early age, I got used to the power trip of bossing others. I went to school thinking I would be an architect by the age of 24. How naive I was.
I’m now 35 and working as a full time technologist for an engineering company. I teach yoga in the evenings and on weekends, and I live comfortably within my means. This is not the picture I had in mind as a girl. But life happened. By that I mean, I got my degree but I didn’t get into the masters program at university. I worked for a few years as an administrator, but I wanted more responsibility and power. I got my diploma in architectural technologies and got into the consulting side of the construction industry. I now run the department of building performance alongside some very cool people.
A few years ago, I made a decision to grow and continue to better myself day by day. I did not have lot of confidence or financial security and I felt very disadvantaged. I discovered that the most successful people just got used to failing and continuing to pursue a goal, regardless of their failures. From my experience, I am on the path to greatness with all the lessons I have learned in my life.
Happiness is a worthy goal, but it takes time and a lot of work. The key ingredient to being happy is progress, or progression to a goal. You only have one life, so make it worthwhile.
