By: Savina Brown
We all shape our goals based on the things that we believe will make us happy in our lives. The classic “I’ll be happy when” syndrome is something we all fall victim to. We say it all the time and we allow these thoughts to guide and influence us in our personal lives, our careers, and our hobbies.
I’ll be happy when I finally finish college.
…When I find my soul-mate.
…When I have a successful career.
…When I buy the house of my dreams.
…When I lose twenty pounds.
…When I get a muscle-up.
Doesn’t it sound all too familiar? We constantly look for happiness in the future. What about right here, right now, are you happy? Not that I am here to bash goal setting or discount anyone’s achievements, but this thought process has almost become an infectious habit in our society. We are all living in the mentality that more is better. And maybe sometimes it is, but how long does that satisfy us until we are on to the next bigger, faster, stronger ideal on our list? We buy the house of our dreams, but we want to remodel it. We have a successful career, but we are working 60+ hours per week. We got our muscle up, but now we want to handstand walk.
It is a continuous, vicious pattern that is difficult to change, but we can start by recognizing where we are today and appreciate all that we have and all that we have accomplished up to this point. Choose to be happy in the here and now rather than being happy when… because who knows when that will happen and how much happiness and satisfaction it will bring.