It’s funny how we often postpone our happiness until we achieve something grand or huge. Whenever I feel like my happiness is on pause because of a certain goal, I remind myself that “you can still be happy even without your goals being achieved yet.”
Having said all that, let’s chat briefly about four reasons why your goals should not determine your happiness.
You can’t base your happiness on unpredictable events
When I think of the idea of goal setting, a scripture comes to my mind, and here is what it says, “We make our own plans, but the LORD decides where we will go.” (Proverbs 16:9 CEV)
As much as goal-setting is beautiful, you should be conscious that so many of your goals might not turn out exactly how you have imagined them, and that’s ok. Most of your goals depend on external factors out of your control. So, letting these factors determine your happiness will put you on a roller coaster of unhealthy emotions that leave you empty and exhausted all the time.
2. You run a risk of living an unfulfilling life
If you keep putting a pause on your happiness before a milestone is complete, you will miss out on the beauty of life. The joy that comes from seeing a goal achieved is very short-lived, and if your happiness is tied to your goals, you will see that once one is complete, you start to chase the next one without letting yourself enjoy the victory of the last goal you completed.
3. You miss out on enjoying your process
No matter how stressful it might be, the process is there to help you become. When you set goals, you should always remember that every next level you aspire to be will demand a leveled-up version of you.
And if you become so fixated on your end result, you might miss out on the joy, fulfillment, and growth the process gives.
4. You might fall into a comparison trap
Letting your goals determine your happiness will create room for a lack of contentment, causing you to fall into a comparison trap. You will discover that you no longer do things because they mean so much to you but to keep up with others who might have achieved more.
This eventually affects your esteem as you start to see yourself only through the eyes of accomplished goals.
Concluding thoughts
Living a life that feels like you are always chasing the wind is bound to cause you to experience certain issues such as depression and anxiety. To prevent such, I encourage you to learn to be happy now, live now, and enjoy your process of becoming.
Our happiness shouldn’t be tied to anything external.
