There is but one thing that matters in life and that is an ability to live in happiness. The secret to this life then is no secret at all. We all understand happiness and what it looks and feels like, at least I think we do.

Happiness is possible for all of us, most of the time. We will also be meet with grievance, despair, sorrow, fear, anxiety and concern as we face challenges throughout life along the path we choose to take.

It is easy to share wisdom and advice to to others such as that on how to live life with greater ease. It is much harder to admit you may not fully understand such advice let alone be able to implement it effectively.

How also can you take such advice from someone, like myself, who does not practice his own advice 100 percent of the time. I am not always happy and I, like anyone else in this world, am constantly challenged by life, hopelessness, and at times an inability to truly understand myself.

My advice to you on this would be to take what you can and leave the rest behind. I would also recommend you do not take my opinion as an indication of the direction you should pursue in you own life, instead use what parts you can to reflect inwardly, and in doing so- guiding yourself.

As Seneca said, “A happy life is one which is accordance with its own nature.” This highlights that we strive best towards happiness when we are aligned with our own nature and not in reliance of others opinions.

If success in life means- to be happy, then the more successful we are, the more frequent and to a higher level of happiness should we reach. We all may interpret the meaning of success differently however the dictionary may describe it as, “the accomplishment of an aim or purpose.” If you are happy then you are already a success.

But what of fame, prosperity, riches, social status, and the like? These are all fine goals to desire and if you can be happy in pursuit of them then you will live successful as you journey forward. Happiness will not be reached in attainment in any one of these goals alone- they may assist and they may not.

This is an error with how many of us live in this world today. In constant chase for a dream, goal or desire that we forgo without contentment and happiness that comes with being present in the now. Hoping that they day when a certain goal is meet that we will meet greater happiness.

This is often not the case. The reverse can occur. Holding on to a high expectation that some goal or point in time will bring great reward, i.e. happiness, yet only when that point is meet do we realise if our expectation was realistic or not. If it’s not we may then be left with feelings of defeat, loss, or loneliness. What then do you do in life?

Hope is one element of happiness. It is in hope that we can improve our level of happiness in the present moment. However, as Seneca said, “True happiness is… to enjoy the present, without anxious dependence upon the future.”

You may be able to remove the anxiety over what the future holds if you learn to be happier and content with living in the now. How do we get there? This is a question that I am still searching for answers. In reflection of my life to this point, I notice that my attention of the future has taken a serious course correction, to more attention of the present.

I can only share, in this reflection, what I know that helps me gain more happiness in life now. I believe in this process for two reasons: firstly, I would like to think that if I died tomorrow that I lived with great happiness up to that point; secondly, I believe that it is when you are content that you will receive more from this world than when you are not.

Let’s explore these a bit more deeply. Many of us, including myself until recently, chase through life missing all the beauty, pleasantries, opportunities and experiences along the way. We are so busy in chase of a future desire that we hope for that we miss the now.

If you ran up a mountain you might get to the top but you may miss the beauty that nature has offered you along the way- flowers, views, breezes, and even your own thought. If you walk pleasantly, yet with purpose, you too, might get to the top yet enjoy the journey there as you proceed.

There is truth that life is limited and not one of us is knowledgeable of when our own will end. This being the case wouldn’t it be better to enjoy all moments up until that point.

It is also a thought that for the person that runs up the mountain they may fall prey to ill health due to the exertion he has put himself under- this being the case, less able to enjoy the reward of reaching the top.

How can you be happy if in ill health and what level of regret will you hold if looking back you rushed to quickly passed many special moments up until this point?

It is likely too that he was under an assumption the reward would be greater yet in false expectation, only to his own, does he feel disappointed. Reaching the top that is not the reward, it is the accumulation of the moments experienced along the way that are truly rewarding. These will only enhance the feelings you get when you reach the top.

Happiness is important and we all desire and deserve it. On how you receive your happiness is entirely up to you. As I age and as I experience more of this life the more important I realise and grateful of each moment I am giving. I wish only to live in each moment with passion and purpose and with that I am becoming more content and happy in life overall.