Sometimes we chase happiness as if it were a destination.
You know how it goes: ‘If only I had this, then I’ll be happy’ or ‘Once I get there, I know I will be happy’.
The thing is, if we only ever look for happiness in the future, it will never be with us where we are, in the present.
It might be obvious, but happiness isn’t found. It’s created. It’s created by us, for ourselves, and shared with others.
This challenges me as much as I understand it to be true. I often fall into a trap I’ve set for myself, thinking I’ll find happiness soon, or it will find me miraculously. I somehow think that removing my autonomy is the key to reaching all I need. It’s a relatively privileged view to have, and it couldn’t be further from the truth.
The paradox is that when we stop treating happiness as something to attain and start recognising it as something to practice, we discover it’s been within our reach all along—not as some grand, permanent state but as moments woven through ordinary days—if only we have the courage to claim them as they pass.
Today, I’m trying to remember that happiness isn’t waiting for me somewhere else. It’s here, in my hands, in this moment, not despite its imperfections, but sometimes because of them.
