Why You Might Never Be Happy

To be truly happy, you need to figure out what matters to you.

Be honest with me. What do you really want in life?

What do you truly value in life? Are you prioritising this above all else?

You’re probably struggling to answer this and that’s fine but you have to answer it soon. Otherwise, you’ll spend the rest of your life living for others.

To truly live life on your terms, you need to be clear about what matters most to you. I’m not referring to money or any material possessions.

What kind of person do you want to be? What kind of people do you want around you?

You need to discard your need for external validation as much as possible to truly answer this. Getting compliments is nice. Making money is nice. Making other people happy can be a noble thing to do but if you focus too much on this you will never be happy.

We often hear that rich people are the most miserable people. Money is not an issue for them yet they are always looking to make more. People do almost anything to be around them yet they have a hard time finding true friends.

Actor Jim Carey once said, “I think everybody should get rich and famous and do everything they ever dreamed of so they can see that it's not the answer.”

Material things and external validation do not bring lasting happiness. To find lasting happiness you need to look internally and identify what matters to you.

To live your truth, you need to stop letting others dictate your life. Do you really want that car or is it just to impress your colleagues? Do you really want to have a meal at that expensive restaurant or is it just an Instagram photo op?

This is not to say you shouldn’t go to nice restaurants or upgrade your car every once in a while. All I am saying is that if you are looking for those things to make you happy, you’re probably going to be disappointed. Material things and external validation can not fill the void caused by poor values.

Learning to value things that are within our control such as honesty, forgiveness, resilience and taking responsibility for our actions, despite what life throws our way, is far more likely to bring happiness than values that have to do with external factors.

I will leave you with a quote from New York Times Bestselling author, Mark Manson,

“…when you give better f*cks, you get better problems. And when you get better problems, you get a better life.”

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