Something I’ve thought about recently, and I’ve spoken about it with a few friends. People strive for happiness. My goal in life is to be happy. But is it good to be in a state where you are always happy, not wanting anything to change? Where life is perfect and you don’t have a care in the world.

It sounds like the ideal life. It’s not unrealistic either. I feel close to this right now and have done for quite some time. I’m extremely happy, however, recently I’ve wondered whether I want that all the time…

I know, it sounds odd, why wouldn’t you want happiness? I can explain, I think….

Have you ever noticed how powerful fear is?

For me, fear has to be one of the most powerful emotions. It can make you act instantly, it over powers emotions such as embarrassment. It can make you plan how to act and give you the drive to see it through.

For me, I fear being stagnant. I fear not improving and reaching higher levels. When that fear kicks in for me, I think about how I can change, what I can improve and I’m given new drive to aim for it.

This isn’t to say I’m not motivated when I’m happy, but the power of fear is second to none for me.

Does sadness put things into perspective?

What does Gary Vaynerchuck do when he hits burnout? He imagines his mum has just been in a car accident – extreme right?! This sadness of losing someone so close to him puts everything into perspective, it re-enforces his priorities for what matter most, this can be lost when going along with ‘perfect days’. You can be very grateful when happy, you can be extremely loving, but when you feel sadness, you feel the pain, you remember what matters and you re-adjust if needed to match your personal morals and beliefs.

So what am I trying to say?

I’m not saying don’t be happy. I think should be 95% of your emotion, you should aim for happiness and align things in your life to encourage it. However, sometimes invite fear and sadness, even if only for a night. Let someone highlights what you fear, let yourself believe it is true and see how your mind-set shifts! Also, think about what matters and how you would feel if something were to break that connection, remember its value and appreciate it more.

 

Whether I’m talking nonsense or not, this is at least some food for thou