We should take our time and try to define what happiness means to one, to oneself.
I can say I’m happy when I see children play inhibitedly and unturned by any mobile devices. I’m happy knowing that I live with much less (than the world of advertising dictates me) but instead hang with local people who enjoy life over drinks. Cheap beers, not expensive beers at a bistro.
I’m happy knowing I am prepared for the future, or at least aware of what may come and how to not become burdened by it. I’m happy, mostly, because I don’t let others define how I should experience my own happiness.
Does that mean I’m not hungry for (new) successes anymore? Heck no. Different things. Victory, and also achievement, is adrenaline. It’s a temporary, short-lived rush. Not happiness.
Well you can be happy if you can find yourself things to be happy about and that you can define happiness to yourself. I wish I would also feel confident that I would be prepared for the future, as I can see that uncertainty of the future can drain the happiness from present for many people, like me.
It feels dumb, but it might remove the joy of the moment - if you are afraid that you might not be happy in the future (which is uncertain). I'm glad you seem to be handling life and happiness quite well.
It wasn’t always like that. In fact, I’ve gone deeper, almost literally, down the other end of happiness. Yet, to have been there has massively helped me recalibrate my own happiness compass. My own, not that one imposed by society.
Does it mean I’ve said no to things I enjoyed before? Every.single.day. and I’m not talking alcohol or drugs or anything like that. No, instead it meant a chosen path of simplification, a generally simpler life. I don’t have less worries, but I have learned to value things differently.
Oh man, I wish this wouldn't need to go as far as thinking things by myself instead of letting society decide for me. But maybe the thing ultimately is to look into ourselves and find whatever we find there and hopefully learn to appreciate things in life and be happy.
I have a respect for you for going through that. It might sound weird though, as this is what I think everyone should do - however we both know not all are going through to find their own happiness instead of living in the "assumed" happiness found in the cultural constructs we are living in.