It’s About the Happiness of Pursuit EP 441

Welcome to your Daily Dose of Hope. We hear a lot about the pursuit of happiness. But today, I want to turn that around and think about the happiness of pursuit. The enjoyment that comes from having something you’re interested in. Something you’re learning. Something you want to try, even if you’re not especially good at it yet. Maybe you’re growing tomatoes. Learning to paint. Training for a walk. Starting a business. Figuring out how to make really good bread. There’s an outcome you’d like, certainly. You’d enjoy the tomatoes. You’d like the bread to rise. You hope the business succeeds. But there’s also something happening while you’re doing it. You’re paying attention. You’re asking questions. You’re noticing that something which confused you last week makes a little more sense today. You have a reason to be curious about what comes next. That can bring a lot of happiness into an ordinary day. Sometimes we talk ourselves out of pursuing something because we can’t justify where it will lead. “What am I going to do with this?” “Will I ever be good enough?” “Is this really worth my time?” Those can be useful questions. But they aren’t the only questions. You could also ask, “Do I enjoy this? Does it give me something to look forward to? Do I like who I am when I’m doing it?” The outcome matters, especially when other people are counting on us or there are bills to pay. Still, the outcome doesn’t have to hold all the value. You can have an unsuccessful garden and a summer full of pleasure tending it. You can make something imperfect and feel proud that you made it. You can follow an interest without turning it into a business, a credential, or a major accomplishment. So what would you enjoy pursuing? Something that gives your curiosity a place to go. Something you’d be happy to spend a little time doing today. You don’t have to know exactly where it will lead before you begin. There may be happiness available in the doing.