This article has been swirling on LinkedIn the past few days – basically it challenges people to make trade-offs to achieve happiness. For the most part, I agree with this, but I also believe that it’s human nature to always want everything. To quote Hannah from Girls, “I want all the things” (see specific episode recap here).
As logical and economical as it would be for us humans to clearly define what happiness means to us (say, financial stability for the rest of one’s life) and then pursue just that, it is unrealistic to then only do whatever it takes to achieve it (say, work 80 hours a week until one turns 80). Maybe it’s possible for some, but I don’t think that most people are so one-track minded. I, for one, like to maintain balance in my life, because having a little bit of everything makes me feel the most sane—and that usually keeps me happy. But I also don’t want to compromise every aspect of my life just to achieve balance. It’s a constant struggle, dialing up one thing only to dial down something else, and then so on and so forth, every day.
Additionally, I think each person’s definition of happiness changes all the time, and is super dependent upon what one has vs. what one wants. Unless you’re easily complacent, you’ll most likely itch for something new or something more as soon as you’ve attained happiness as you’ve currently defined it. For example, very ambitious career-minded people may derive success and happiness from constantly climbing the corporate ladder or paving their own entrepreneurial path. But at some point, when they feel like they’ve conquered what they had set out to conquer, their priorities shift, and suddenly life can’t be complete without philanthropy, love, family, or legacy. At that point, their idea of happiness has changed, and they need to pivot.
Perhaps what’s most important is that you make time to do a gut check every now and then, just to reflect on what you’re doing and whether or not it aligns with your version of happiness at that phase in your life. And as long as you feel that your actions are consistent with what you want or where you want to be, then you can feel rest assured that any struggling or balancing you’re doing is not all for naught. I’m a strong believer of the saying, “Happiness is not a destination—it’s a direction.” If you feel like you’re going down the path that’s right with you, then go on. It doesn’t mean there won’t be bumps along the way. The gut check we all have to make lies in deciding whether the bumps are worth overcoming or if they’re there to purposefully derail us so that we can find the right path.
DAILY BREWIN' 