Hey Christina, really powerful article. It’s tough to figure out what makes us happy. Then it’s about figuring out whether it’s what ‘should’ make us happy, perhaps according to society, someone else’s version of happiness and success, or compared to how we used to be.

Do we ever really know what actually makes us truly, deeply, happy?

But maybe for some people, that’s not the right question or goal.

In his book The 4-Hour Work Week, Tim Ferris puts forward an interesting perspective about happiness:

“The opposite of love is indifference, and the opposite of happiness is — here’s the clincher-boredom. Excitement is the more practical synonym for happiness, and it is precisely what you should strive to chase. It is the cure-all.”

So rather than ask what makes you happy — ask what excites you.

I’ve found this to be true in my life. Following the norm is not exciting to me. Having a big house. Going to gym 4 times a week. Having a husband, 3 kids and an SUV.

Rather, I prefer to have a small mortgage in a house in an average suburb — so there’s more money to travel. That excites me!

Choosing to stick to just 1 kid and defying the protests: ‘You have to have another, she’ll be lonely’. Having the time to deeply connect with my daughter because she is an only child. That excites me.

Rockclimbing outdoors and climbing hard with like-minded, positive people excites me.

Working through business ideas with positive, motivated people excites me.

Sharing writing feedback and supporting other writers excites me.

This is what makes me happy. Now. And it takes awareness and proactivity to stay happy but that’s the awesome part of life. You just gotta roll with it…

Cheers for an awesome post Christina — it is a great one to get people to review where they are at and what makes them tick :)