How Do You Chase the Pursuit of Happiness or Is Everything Gold?

I am on the Pursuit

Under capitalism, happiness isn’t just a feeling—it’s a product constantly being sold to us. From the moment we enter the world, we’re conditioned to chase it. Buy aesthetic clothes. Get the newest phone. Grab your daily Starbucks. And in that same breath, we’re told to be financially responsible—stack up savings, build emergency funds, invest in our futures. Whatever it is, the promise remains the same: this will make you happy. And for a moment, it does.

Sometimes, materialistic happiness comes in waves—what I like to call “aftershocks.” Buy a cute pair of shoes, and the thrill isn’t just in the purchase; it lingers every time you wear them. These little jolts of joy keep us going, giving us something to look forward to in the routine of survival. Some people indulge more than others, but at the end of the day, we’re all in the same system, playing the same game.

But this type of happiness always fades. The kind that truly lasts—the one everyone is chasing—feels more elusive. It’s the happiness that makes you feel whole, the kind that fills your heart until it feels like it might burst, the kind that makes the world feel light as a feather. Somewhere along the way, we’ve blurred the lines between fleeting pleasure and deep, lasting fulfillment. We treat short-term highs as if they are the same as real, meaningful happiness—but they aren’t. And yet, we keep chasing, hoping that enough temporary joys will somehow add up to something permanent.

Tell Me What You Know?

Happiness, as we know it today, isn’t just about joy. It comes in many forms: feeling competent, valued, loved, cared for, or simply interested in life. Big corporations have skillfully convinced us that we can buy these feelings—that purchasing X, Y, or Z will give us purpose, confidence, and connection. In a world where money dictates our opportunities, our security, and even our self-worth, we’ve come to depend on it as if it were the sun itself—the force that keeps everything in motion. But unlike the sun, money isn’t essential to human existence. We created it, yet we let it define everything about the way we live. Silly, isn’t it?

But here’s where it gets tricky—does chasing happiness actually make us less happy? The more we fixate on trying to achieve happiness, the more it slips through our fingers. It becomes another item on the to-do list, another goal post that keeps moving, just always out of reach. We tell ourselves, “I'll be happy when I get that job, when I hit that milestone, when I finally have enough money.” But the finish line keeps shifting, and before we know it, we’re chasing happiness like a mirage, never quite able to grab on.

If happiness is the ultimate goal, why does chasing it often leave us feeling emptier? Ironically, the happiest moments in life often happen when we aren’t actively seeking them. It’s in the quiet laughter shared with our sibling, or the unexpected beauty of a sunset, or the look on your cat’s face when they are sleeping. These moments don’t require a purchase, a five-year plan, or a bank account balance. They just happen and in order to have these moments you have to acknowledge them in the present. 

But here’s another question: Can we be happy for others, or does happiness always feel like something personal? In a world that thrives on competition, it’s easy to view someone else’s joy as something that takes away from our own. We compare, we measure, we wonder why we don’t have what they do; it is easy to feel jealousy and a sense of injustice because life works in mysterious ways. To accept the realities of life doesn’t necessarily mean happiness can be shared; in fact, it often feels deeply personal. Lately, I’ve started to believe that the constant oversharing of life milestones has made happiness feel almost performative—so much so that even trying to be happy can feel toxic.

Social media has turned joy into something we broadcast rather than something we simply feel. Engagements, promotions, travel, success—it’s all carefully curated and presented for the world to see. But what happens when we start measuring our happiness against someone else’s highlight reel? Instead of feeling inspired, we feel like we’re falling behind. Instead of celebrating our own moments, we wonder if they’re good enough to share.

At some point, happiness stopped being about personal fulfillment and started being about validation. Are people truly happy, or are they just proving something? And when everything becomes a spectacle, does real happiness lose its meaning?

 Real happiness—deep, fulfilling happiness—isn’t a finite resource. We don't have to share, and we sure don’t only get a few moments of bliss happiness in a lifetime. Someone else’s success, love, or peace doesn’t subtract from ours. Happiness is everywhere even when you are having a tough day someone is having the best day. Does that subtract or add to yours? No, it's just a point. Maybe happiness isn’t something we chase but something we cultivate inside ourselves. Not through things, not through status, but through connection, gratitude, and the ability to embrace life as it unfolds. So instead of asking, How can I be happier? maybe the better question is: How can I be more present? Because happiness isn’t ahead of us—it’s right here.

If You're Stuck

If you need help stepping back from the chaos of life, Mon Rovîa is here to guide us. This week, I’m dedicating another one of his songs—To Watch the World Spin Without You. It carries an ethereal, almost otherworldly feel, like stepping into a different realm. His voice is both calming and indulgent, pulling you into a dreamlike state ready to catch you.

This song has been sitting in my archives for a while, waiting for the right moment. Now, it feels like the perfect soundtrack for stepping back and letting go—watching the world spin without feeling the need to chase after it. Allow yourself to not give into every impulse buy or just simply sit with your feelings. The more you know, the more you become aware of having happiness.

Enjoy This Jounrey With Me

° 𐐪𐑂 ♡ 𐐪𐑂 ₒ 𐐪𐑂 ♡ 𐐪𐑂 °

Enjoy This Jounrey With Me ° 𐐪𐑂 ♡ 𐐪𐑂 ₒ 𐐪𐑂 ♡ 𐐪𐑂 °

This isn’t the end—just a bookmark in the conversation. Stories don’t really close; they unfold, shift, and find new voices. If this one stirred something in you, let it breathe. Leave a thought, challenge an idea, or carry it forward in your own way. And if you ever feel like wandering through more unfinished thoughts, you know where to find me. Let’s keep the conversation alive. ~XOXO