Happiness Is What You Make of It

A common misconception is that happiness is a monolith. It does not look one way for everyone. Even what can make many people happy will cause pain in others. Happiness is completely situational and not commonplace.

The myth perpetuates in content that promises if you subscribe to this one method, you too can find happiness. Even looking at our peers and what their perceived level of happiness appears to be is a losing game, because we don’t know everything that goes into the creation of that outside appearance. What goes on behind closed doors.

I, to this day, struggle with happiness. The attainment of it, and the identification of what happiness is, and to a point, what makes me happy. Because even that changes from time to time.

I used to be happy to be surrounded by friends. The more the merrier. I was happy spending time with strangers, meeting throngs of people. I was happy being the most extroverted version of myself.

I thought I was happy in a loveless marriage. I thought I was happy working myself to the bone, grinding away on the corporate hamster wheel. I thought I was happy. And maybe I was.

Now, what makes me happy is time spent in my sanctuary with solitary pursuits. That makes me happy. My 20 or even 30-year-old self would have never. But that’s the evolution of life. And I am not even 100% certain that this is, in fact, my ultimate level of happiness.