A lot of times we seek happiness outside of ourselves. We won’t be happy unless this happens or until that happens or until this person does this, etc.
When you put conditions on being happy you will end up spending life with the goal of being happy out of your reach.
“Happiness is like a butterfly. When pursued it is always beyond your grasp but if you sit still it enlightens upon you.” I am not sure but I think I read that quote in the book, Zen and the Birds of Appetite by Thomas Merton. If I am wrong and the quote is not in there the book has a wealth of information in there to take the confusion out of life and make you look at life in a different way which in turn makes your life so much better. It is one of the most favorite books that I have ever read. This is the book that I read that helped me reach a level of enlightenment.
Wayne Dyer paraphrased a famous quote, “There is no way to happiness, happiness is the way.” This is so very true! For too many times in my life, I have always put conditions on my happiness. This has given me great drive to succeed in almost every area of my life. But at what cost? I have missed out on a lot of happiness in my life with this limiting self-belief. I could have been happy the whole time and just as ambitious. The funny thing about this quote is that if you seek happiness from within and become truly happy success will follow you like a shadow that never leaves.