The Pursuit of Happiness

A friend recently told me that you can’t make happiness happen… that you have to be patient and let it happen. Hmm…

That’s a problem for me. I am an organizer, a problem solver… so I fix things. I find comfort in having a project, something to create, something to improve or repair. Some people think that’s a good thing. The flip side is, I don’t have patience to hang around and wait for things happen or improve. It’s just not my nature… and that’s a problem.

I know life is complicated, it’s messy and unpredictable. I know some things just can’t be fixed. Some things are just the way they are. Sometimes things get better with time, with understanding and with patience… and sometimes they don’t. Personally, that’s the tough part for me.

Even though there is the possibility of failure, I still have to try to do my best. Perhaps I need to accept that there are some things that I can’t control, to let nature take it’s course and maybe even just some things go.

I guess it’s a balancing act of doing my best and accepting that I won’t always succeed. I am learning to celebrate small triumphs, good days and incredible moments in my life, and not get stuck on the mud when I fail. I know every failure is an opportunity to learn and grow. 

Maybe the pursuit of happiness is the wrong way to look at it. Maybe we need to stop chasing happiness. Maybe we need to to let it pursue us… and when it does, recognize it and embrace it.