Happiness is a Journey, Not a Destination – words of the wise man responsible for this quote (I believe it was Crystal Boyd) resonate with me as strongly today as they have when I first realized that chasing goals of the future is akin to chasing your own tail. It’s a rat race. Happiness is not something you will work your way to. Things like: “I just have to pay off this debt and I will be happy” or “I just need to close this big deal and then I will be happy” or “I just need to finish building this house and then I will be happy” are all lies. You lie to yourself because where there is one obstacle forcing you to put the feelings of happiness off and into the future, there will be another right after.
There is NO way that will lead you to happiness, because happiness IS the way. It is the way you are feeling right now at this very moment. Appreciate this very moment and enjoy it, because it is in your life only once. Time is your most precious commodity, don’t spend it waiting for something you hope will come in the future. No matter what you do, there will always be challenges in your life. You tell yourself that your life will be complete after you have married your girlfriend, then after you have bought the house, then after you have had the kids, then after kids are a bit older cause it’s hard with the little ones, then after kids are out of puberty cause being a parent of teenagers is hard, then…. You see where I’m going with this?
Happiness is a journey, not a destination. That’s why no matter how much you save up, money will not buy you happiness. And that’s also why I did not make my early retirement a thing of the future. Since happiness is a journey, not a destination, you can start it from anywhere. You can start it from the very place where you are right now, reading this article. Every journey, regardless of how long or short has started with the first step. Take this first step in faith. You don’t have to see where the road leads, just take that first step in faith and the road will be shown to you. Where it leads is irrelevant, because it’s not the destination that makes for happiness, it’s the journey.
Be happy. Embrace yourself for who you are and open up your mind to happiness. There is no better time to be happy than right now, in this very moment. And there is a very good reason for it. It is because you are sharing this moment with someone special, someone worthy of every single second of your precious time – YOURSELF!
Treasure this moment. It is the best moment of your life. Treasure every moment of your life because you are an amazing person who deserves to be happy. Even the tallest oak tree was once a nut that stood its ground. It’s your life so go nuts and stand tall. And remember – happiness is a journey, not a destination.