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Happiness is not a goal: I think we have it the wrong way around when we say happiness is a goal in life. If you look long enough, you realise that happiness is elusive. We have better luck finding joy. So, I’d argue that this chase of happiness is not only elusive but a foolish pursuit. We find joy in the things we do, face them in the moment and create memories and narratives around them. In other words, what we face as joy in the current moment ends up being a definition of happiness in some cases. In this case, the quote from Eleanor Roosevelt makes us pause and ask a question about happiness. Is happiness truly the goal of life and if so how do we realise it?

Happiness is not a goal, it is a byproduct of a life well-lived

The problem with happiness as a goal is that it is subjective. This means that its an unachievable goal. And we all know that life is full of problems and sometimes tough ones too. So, happiness can’t be the goal. We over-index too much in this pursuit of so-called happiness and lose focus on what’s happening at the moment. Instead, focus your energies on the quality of life. (Happiness is living in the moment)

Happiness happens in retrospect when you look back at the events of your life. For this to be filled with happy memories, we have to spend time, and effort. We must make conscious choices to expose ourselves to these types of experiences. Once we start doing that, happiness becomes a part of our everyday life. It blossoms when our minds and hearts is at peace. This peace can only come when we are in synchronisation with our environment, and values and living a life that gives us balance. The definition of balance, yet again is different to each one of us. Hence, it is very important to define a goal which is achievable and makes us feel joy.

Happiness is not a goal, it’s a by-product of a life well lived