I don’t believe happiness is something you find.

I believe happiness is something you create.

For a long time I thought happiness was something that would happen to me when I finally had the right circumstances.

When I had achieved something.
When I had enough money.
When I had the right relationship.
When I had figured things out.

But then I noticed something.

I could achieve things and still feel miserable.

I could have a great day and feel unhappy.

I could be surrounded by people I love and still feel lonely.

And I realised that happiness is a feeling.

It’s not a place you arrive at.

It’s not something you get to keep forever once you’ve found it.

It comes and goes.

Just like sadness.
Just like anger.
Just like excitement.

And I actually like that.

Because if happiness is a feeling, I don’t have to wait for my life to be perfect before I allow myself to feel it.

I can create moments of joy right now.

I can notice the sun on my skin.

I can dance in my kitchen.

I can call someone I love.

I can eat something delicious and actually taste it.

I can stop working and go outside.

I can choose something simply because it brings me joy.

This doesn’t mean ignoring the difficult things in life.

It means not making happiness dependent on everything going right.

I don’t believe you have to earn joy by working hard enough first.

You are allowed to feel good now.

You are allowed to enjoy your life now.

And you can learn to create more of that feeling.

Joy is not something you find.
It is something you create.