Best Self Magazine

The Most Common Happiness Mistake and the Secret to Greater Joy

Happiness mistakes, by Sara Fabian. Photograph of person laughing by Tyler Nix

Photograph by Tyler Nix

Everyone wants greater happiness, but the key is simpler than you may think

Looking back on my life, I realize that I didn’t know how to be happy. I continuously kept myself busy, always running somewhere so I could achieve more or better, turning my happiness into a project and waiting for “the big things” to happen so I could finally feel joyful and satisfied.

For too many years, I spent a lot of my precious time complaining. I thought I never had enough time, money, or love. Many of us get stuck in the habit of projecting our happiness into

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