One of my first breakthroughs when I was depressed, came from recognizing the pattern of times I would think “I’ll be happy when…” I looked back on many of the times I thought those same words, and realized I had achieved a lot of them! I got the girlfriend, I got friends, I got the car… I got all the things I once said I’d be happy with, so why wasn’t I happy?
Each time I achieved or acquired something, there was a short happiness, which was quickly replaced by a desire for the next thing, for the next step to heaven. You can see the problem. Not sure why it took me so long to see it too.
This train of thought drove a shift of perception in me: happiness was no longer a destination, it was a journey. In order to have long-term happiness, it became evident that I could not just enjoy the destinations, the I’ll-be-happy-whens along the way. I had to learn enjoy the entire journey.
While it was great realization, it really only redefined the problem. So I was onto the next pickle: how the heck do you enjoy the entire journey? How do you enjoy all the crap life throws your way?
Now I’m no pickle eater, but we’ll bite into this one later.
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