Life, liberty and the pursuit of happiness are considered our unalienable rights according to the Declaration of Independence. Life and liberty are pretty much black and white, in the regards that we know what they are and if we have them or not. However, the pursuit of happiness is where the gray area begins. Why are we only granted the pursuit of happiness? Well, that's probably because for some, happiness is very hard to achieve, and not everyone gets joy out of the same things. Of course, some people are just incredibly happy in life, and don't we all wish we could achieve that? Isn't that the life-long question? How does a person achieve happiness? No, it's not as simple as having something, or not having something. It's not about ideology. It's not about what you're doing. It's not luck or privilege.
The key to happiness is simple and can be summed up in one bold statement: If you can fall in love with the process, you can always be happy. What is this "process?" The process is simply the path between you and whatever you are trying to achieve. If you play a sport, it's all of your practices and the games you have to win or lose to get to a championship or the next level. In school, it's all of the classes you have to take before you get to the ones that you use for your major. Or in a career setting, it can be all of the little tasks and connections you have to make to get the job you've been working for. The process is essentially all of the things we have to do to get where we want to go. The process is the hard part.
Sure, it's easier said than done to love a job sweeping floors for a company you'd much rather be managing. It's so much easier to love the diploma in your hand than it is to love the countless nights you stayed up studying to get there. That's why happiness is so fleeting, and oftentimes hard to achieve- it's not easy.
However if you can manage to fall in love with some of the most difficult and uncomfortable moments of your life, think about how much you'll learn to appreciate the big things. Everything takes time, everything takes effort and everything has a path you have to take to get to the prize destination. So why not walk into life and take in all of the experiences you are lucky enough to have, instead of complaining about the strides you have to take to get to the top? Every conditioning practice, every long term paper and every late night at the office is getting you to those big highlights in your life, so you should appreciate them for helping you get there.
