“Happiness is not a destination.”

I heard this quote while watching the infamous One Tree Hill (a show that everyone should watch). It struck me because I’ve never thought about happiness like that.

Like many, I think about my future and the future fulfilling happiness I will hopefully face. For me being fulfilled will include: a job I love, a supportive group of friends, a family that loves me, a nice car, a nice house, a loving marriage, and a couple of wonderful kids. All great things right?

However, I tend not to think about if I’m happy right now. But I’ve always looked at happiness as a destination that could be attained in the future but not now because there is a common misconception that if I have the right car, or family, or partner then everything will be okay and happiness will be long-lasting.

When I came home from college for winter break, the first thing most people asked me was if I was happy at USC. It wasn’t until people asked me that question, that I had to take a step back and examine if I was. The answer is, yes, I am happy where I’m at, however, just like life, I’ve had up and downs at USC, nothing is perfect.

That is something that I think we all need to remember about happiness and the future. It won’t be perfect because there are downs in life, but, loving where we are and finding happiness in the little things is more important now than what could be. It's like when a bad situation happens and the common advice is to not think about the "what ifs." I think the trick is to not think about what the "will be's." Focusing on today will help us generate more happiness.

However, “Happiness is a mood” (another One Tree Hill quote). But the truth is that happiness is fleeting, that’s why it’s not a destination, it’s a mood. You could be happy today while eating lunch with high school friends and this evening be sad about your grades. A destination lasts and happiness/moods, unfortunately, don't. This gives us more of a reason to be thankful for the happiness and a reason to try and notice our happiness more. Happiness, the mood and idea of it, we tend to take for granted and idealize it.

So I challenge you:

What are you happy about right now?