Bait and Switch

Everyone wants to be happy. Not delirious, euphoric happiness--most of us realize that that’s not really sustainable. But  we’d all like to live fulfilling, enjoyable, meaningful lives. The problem is, if that’s the goal, the way to get there is not at all obvious. It’s confusing.

Unfortunately, we live in a culture that’s all too happy to divert and monetize our confusion. It bombards us, night and day, with substitute goals to stand in for actual happiness. Wealth. Possessions. Status. Fame. It assures us that the right job title, the right car, the right hairdo, or the right Instagram will give us what we long for. And when we finally acquire what we so desperately wanted, we’re upsold to the next shiny, nearly attainable thing.

So here’s a question to consider: what actually makes you happy? For most people, the real answers are surprisingly simple. Connection to people you love. Meaningful work in the world. Experiencing and creating beauty. Understanding and learning. Once you’ve satisfied the most basic needs of  food, shelter and comfort, there are only a few things that make life worth living. That’s what we’re here for.

There’s great power in knowing what you really want, but it takes work. The bait and switch is all around us. The upsell is in our faces every day. We’ve only got so much money in our pockets--let’s come home from the market with the right stuff.