Happiness Is A Moving Target

We all have things in life that we want.  We think, "Oh, if I can just get that one thing, then I'll be happy!"  If I could just lose 50 pounds, buy that house, run that race, see the Mayan ruins, quit smoking... The list is never ending.  And it should be.  Because if you are not constantly striving for something, you're life will become stagnant.  And who wants that?

There is a difference between contentedness and stagnant.  Content is being satisfied with your life and how it is progressing.  Being happy in the still moments.  Stagnant is when you have given up on your dreams and are just making your way from day to day doing the necessary things that have to be done to survive.  Wishing that things could be different but knowing that they won't.  See?  Doesn't that sound boring and depressing?  We don't want that.

So, on that note, what are you striving for today?  And what are the things you are doing to get there?  I am proud of you for reaching.

Happiness is a moving target.   Don't wait to reach those BIG items to enjoy happiness.  The truth is, the things that made us happy before might not make us happy now.  Don't wait, putting all your happiness in one basket so that if you never lose that fifty pounds or buy that house you will feel like a failure or feel you don't deserve to be happy.  Stop and smell the daffodils!  There is happiness to be found all around us.  Don't wait!  It will make your journey toward your bigger goals so much better and you'll be able to keep rolling through those rough spots a little easier when you focus on the big picture.  Celebrate as you go.   

I always encourage people to have several goals.  Long term, short term and daily goals.  Mix it up!  Add to your list!  Find new things that excite you and make you want to go after them.  Remove the ones that when you look at them you're like, "What was I thinking?"  Check your goal list often and make sure you are still working toward happiness.  Perhaps you have been working on something so long and you've forgotten why you're pursuing it.  Or maybe you have reached your goal and it no longer fulfills you.   Find your happiness.  Don't just sit on the couch and wish for it.  

Cliff Notes: When you reach your goals, even the small ones, celebrate.  And while you're on the road to reaching said goals, find happiness along the way.  Life is more than the destination.  It's about all the little stops along the way too.

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