Most of us want to be happy. It is a common desire or goal. But how do we achieve it?
A few years ago, when I took a Yale online course on happiness, one of the things I learned is when we finally obtain something we may be striving for, we are often not satisfied. Well, at least not for very long.
Since then I’ve heard many stories about people who have attained great success, maybe they got the job they always wanted, won the lottery or received an award for their achievement. They have a feeling of satisfaction or even euphoria…but like an old balloon, the feeling eventually deflates. I then thought of it like target practice.
The purpose of target practice is to become proficient in hitting your target exactly where you are aiming. Success requires deliberate and consistent effort. Especially if the target is not a stationary object. I imagine practicing at a gun range is drastically different than skeet shooting.
What I learned in that course and in many things I’ve heard and read since then, is that external things are not going to provide a sustaining feeling of satisfaction or fulfillment. That truly can only come from inside, and often changes as we age and our priorities shift. Learning that requires effort and self-reflection, also deliberate and consistent.
It’s a process. And I believe it’s ever changing and never static. The thing is, we are all given the same playing field to figure it out. It’s called life.
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