Okay, you’re probably going to hate this, but hear me out.

If you’re chasing happiness, you might be chasing the wrong goal. You might need to change your focus and look for fulfillment.

Personal development is so curious. And I’m not gonna pretend like I don’t wanna be happy myself. But the past two years of my life have been challenging in a way I hadn’t experienced before.

Lots of confusion. Frustration. And just a general sense of anxiety about my health, my career, and my goals.

Six months ago, though, something clicked.

The obstacles I’d been facing were the path to finding growth. I realized that the things I was losing were actually for my good.

The cancer scare made me serious about healthier eating.

The stress of balancing so many projects encouraged me to double down on my self-care activities that help me best regulate my anxiety.

The loss of some relationships encouraged me to re-evaluate how I’d been showing up for my people, ultimately leading me to new friends and now a new lil boo thang.

I realized that even in the darkness, there was so much joy to be had. Yes, there was stress. Sometimes I felt overwhelmed. I even worked myself until I was sick at one point.

But the more I noticed joy, the more joy started to pop up unexpectedly.

Happiness is fleeting, but fulfillment, at least for me, looked like: accepting myself fully, being grateful for where I am (even though sometimes it’s a little uncomfortable), and genuinely being optimistic for what’s to come.

Here’s something to ponder: What needs to wither for you to continue to bloom? And where can you notice joy in your life today… even if it’s not always going according to plan?