What’s a common misconception people have about happiness
I used to think happiness was very professional.
You know…
The kind that arrives only after reviewing your application.
“Thank you for your interest in Happiness.”
“Unfortunately, you do not meet the requirements at this time.”
Please try again after:
☐ Losing weight
☐ Making more money
☐ Becoming successful
☐ Fixing your life
☐ Getting your children to answer texts on time
☐ Learning how to fold fitted sheets
So naturally,
I spent years trying to qualify.
I made plans.
Backup plans.
Emergency backup plans.
And a few dramatic speeches
for situations that never actually happened.
Meanwhile,
happiness was behaving very irresponsibly.
It showed up at odd times.
While eating the last piece of cake.
While finding money in an old handbag.
While cancelling plans and staying home.
Especially while cancelling plans and staying home.
The strange thing is,
nobody tells you this.
They tell you happiness lives in big moments.
The promotion.
The dream house.
The perfect vacation.
The life-changing achievement.
And yes,
those things are wonderful.
But somehow,
the happiness from buying a new refrigerator
lasts about three business days.
Then you’re standing in the kitchen thinking,
“Well… now what?”
Maybe that’s the biggest misconception.
We think happiness is a permanent resident.
Turns out,
it’s more like that friend who drops by unexpectedly,
makes you laugh,
steals a biscuit,
refuses to stay long,
and leaves before you can ask for a selfie.
It visits during ridiculous moments.
A perfectly made cup of tea.
A joke that shouldn’t be funny but is.
A song you haven’t heard in years.
Fresh bedsheets.
Finding out tomorrow is a holiday.
Finding out someone else made dinner.
Now THAT is happiness.
These days,
I don’t chase it quite so much.
Mostly because I’m tired.
Also because happiness seems to enjoy hide-and-seek.
The harder I look,
the faster it runs.
The moment I stop searching,
there it is—
sitting quietly beside me,
hiding in a good laugh,
a familiar voice,
an unexpected free afternoon,
or a cup of tea that somehow tastes exactly right.
And perhaps that’s the biggest misconception of all.
We think happiness is waiting for us somewhere in the future,
while it keeps waving at us from the present.
So tell me, dear friends…
What is one small thing that made you smile recently?
Not the big achievements.
Not the life-changing moments.
Just something simple.
A phone call from someone you love.
A favourite song playing unexpectedly.
A warm cup of tea on a quiet afternoon.
Holding hands with the person who makes your heart purr.
Listening to the giggles, laughter, and mischief of children filling the house with life.
Or a furry little companion who greets you as though you’ve returned from a year-long expedition, when in reality you only stepped out for ten minutes.
Maybe happiness isn’t hiding in extraordinary moments after all.
Maybe it’s tucked inside these little everyday moments that ask for nothing except to be noticed.
I’d love to hear about one of yours. 💛✨
.
Leaving you with a little happiness today,
—Rajeshwari 🧿💕🦋
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While writing this, I was reminded of another thought that has stayed with me for a long time: we often spend so much energy searching for meaning that we forget to notice the magic already sitting beside us.
The Garden Within: A Letter to My 20-Year-Old Self
