How to Win the Pursuit of Happiness

Foundation stones for a joyful life

Photo by Eye for Ebony on Unsplash

Do you want to be happy?

So do I.

There’s a lot of talk about pursuing happiness these days. That’s great because life is easier when you’re happy, right?

But is it enough?

Happiness can’t be your primary goal.

Wait a minute.

How can this be?

If you’ve read about smart goals, you know they need to be a few things.

• Specific. Generality is too vague to chase.
• Measurable. Numbers are easy to measure. Feelings? Not so much.
• Attainable. Shoot for the moon if you want. But you’ll need a vehicle to get you there. If you reach too high, you’ll want to give up. That will poison your future efforts.
• Realistic. You can’t lose 100 pounds in 24 hours. You might be able to do it in a year, though. But only if you really want to.
• Timely. You’ve heard that a dream without a deadline is a wish. Ever crammed for a test? These are extremes. Make time part of the process and you’ll move forward at the right pace.

If you’ve ever said, “I’ll be happy when…” — you understand that happiness needs…