One of the biggest traps we fall into in this achievement-focused time is the idea that everything will be better when…

Everything will be better:

when we meet that soul-mate

when we find or quit that job

when we fill up that bank account

when we buy that house

when we have that child

when we publish that book

when we catch your big break

when we retire

The truth is whatever we’re waiting for will never bring the happiness we expect because we have to be able to be happy now in order to be happy when.

Marianne Williamson says, “the top of one mountain is just the bottom of the next.” There will always be a mountaintop we’re trying to reach, but the key to happiness is finding joy and fulfillment in the climb.

Everything in the outside world is temporary—happiness is internal.

Marriage, parenthood, home-ownership… all of them hold the allure of security. But, the reality is, security is a myth. The only thing we can truly control is how we respond to the constantly shifting terrain of life.

Sometimes I think about how happy I’ll be when I have reached a certain level of financial comfort, while other times I look in the mirror and think how much happier I’ll be when I can see the outline of those abs just a little more clearly. But, it’s not true. I can be just as happy anytime I want. I can choose to affirm and embrace my body or my life exactly as it is, while still working to improve it.

“I love my life just as it is, and am working to make it even better.”

That’s where confidence comes from; that’s where happiness comes from.

What if this whole adventure comes to a screeching halt tomorrow and we’ve just spent a lifetime waiting for all of the things that symbolize happiness? All we had to do to be happy was be willing to look at it differently, to find the Gratitude where we didn’t see it previously.

Though it’s not always easy, it is simple.

It’s about making it a daily practice to show up for the climb, be fulfilled by the journey and allow the triumphs to be beautiful moments to savor, rather than the reason for living.

It starts now.

Let Happiness Be Your Guide.

Have a beautiful week!

Happy Warrior

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Apprentice Editor: Alicia Wozniak / Editor: Renée Picard

Photo: flickr / magnetbox