The “clown” thing about it is that if you wait for happiness to come… it probably won’t.
Happiness is ultimately the state of fulfillment and appreciation for most people. The difference between being a happy person who has unhappy moments sometimes and an unhappy person who has happy moments sometimes is simply that- barring conditions like depression- it comes down to if you feel fulfilled and appreciate what you have. Truly appreciate it. If you appreciate what you have but do not feel fulfilled you get feelings like ennui or stagnation. If you feel fulfilled but don’t appreciate what you have you are always feeling shorted or like you need more.
There is a recipe for each person in how much they might need to work on themselves to become happy and how much they need to work externally to find happiness. Through the process of looking we often find what we need if we follow the subtle clues in life and stay honest with our feelings.
That said, if you wait around for happiness thinking that it will come from graduating or doing the bare minimum- you are less likely to find it, or it will likely take much longer. Some people are happy and fulfilled with the bare minimum and that is a fine thing. We all want and need different things. If you are in the bare minimum or close too and aren’t happy though- that likely doesn’t apply to you.
It can seem confusing or contradictory- but it isn’t a job or achievement or being partnered or married or having kids or having money etc. that will make most people happy. They may be happy or become happy after finding one or more of those things, but it is really about feeling fulfilled and appreciated. It isn’t that you couldn’t be happy without that specific thing generally- it is that that specific thing helped you feel fulfilled and appreciative.
Happiness starts and ends internally with us, but of course external factors can influence it. We aren’t all monks and we all have different levels of emotional control or development to be able to feel fulfillment or appreciation. With a sincere goal and the right mindset working towards the things we want can give us fulfillment and appreciation. Of course maybe this doesn’t apply to everyone all the time, but what is very broadly true is that just waiting and hoping to be happy usually isn’t the best path to being happy.
Happiness is ultimately the state of fulfillment and appreciation for most people. The difference between being a happy person who has unhappy moments sometimes and an unhappy person who has happy moments sometimes is simply that- barring conditions like depression- it comes down to if you feel fulfilled and appreciate what you have. Truly appreciate it. If you appreciate what you have but do not feel fulfilled you get feelings like ennui or stagnation. If you feel fulfilled but don’t appreciate what you have you are always feeling shorted or like you need more.
There is a recipe for each person in how much they might need to work on themselves to become happy and how much they need to work externally to find happiness. Through the process of looking we often find what we need if we follow the subtle clues in life and stay honest with our feelings.
It can seem confusing or contradictory- but it isn’t a job or achievement or being partnered or married or having kids or having money etc. that will make most people happy. They may be happy or become happy after finding one or more of those things, but it is really about feeling fulfilled and appreciated. It isn’t that you couldn’t be happy without that specific thing generally- it is that that specific thing helped you feel fulfilled and appreciative.