In the pursuit of happiness, the keyword is pursuit.
Many of us are familiar with this ancestral teaching which claims that what matters in life, is not the destination but the journey. Yet, we often struggle to live up to this powerful truth.
We often defer our happiness and our appreciation for life at a later date and tie it to an uncertain outcome: I will be happy when I make X amount of money; or I will reach happiness when I lose XX pounds; or I will be fulfilled when I find the love of my life.
My life journey has shown me time and again that happiness is an inside job. It is often achieved by being in the flow of life. What is the flow of life? In a nutshell, it is being in total acceptance of events outside of our control.
Happiness is always available, shall we create the perfect conditions to experience it.
“In the pursuit of happiness, the keyword is pursuit.”
In order to do so, I selected four elements that seem to be non-negotiable pre-requisites to tap into the enjoyment of life’s journey.
1- Gratitude: no matter how hard life is, there’s always something or someone to be grateful for.
2- Purpose: when you have a high degree of self-awareness and a sense of what your life mission is supposed to be, you are more equipped to deal with the inevitable heartbreaks and set-back. Clarity of our destination brings acceptance to the challenges presented by external events.
3- Presence: when we are stuck in our heads, ruminating about events of the past, or worrying about the future, we are incapable of enjoying the present moment. Joy happens in the heart space, not in our mind: if we hail ourselves in it, we cannot possibly enjoy the journey of life.
4- Unconditional self-love: the only person that we are stuck with from start to finish is ourselves. What does that mean? That means that nobody needs self-sabotage in addition to the world telling us that we are not good enough. Becoming our own best friend is a necessity yet, a daunting task. The most important forgiveness or compassion that we often deny to offer is the one we should give to ourselves.
Always remember: in the pursuit of happiness, the keyword is pursuit. No destination, no matter how beautiful, can compare to a spectacular journey.