Happiness is not a destination.

It’s a byproduct of progress.

Said more accurately

Happiness is the perception of progress.

When I think I’m moving forward,

happiness appears.

When I lose the thread of trajectory,

happiness scatters.

Even worse, when I have no trajectory,

happiness becomes a random act of kindness

imposed upon me by theboss.

Generous but unrepeatable.

When my survival thinking takes the wheel,

happiness collapses into chaos.

Survival keeps changing the components of progress.

Changing the rules.

Changing the score.

The paradox is this:

Happiness is not proof of progress.

It’s the proof I believe I am progressing.