Success and Happiness

When I was in my early 20s, I met a lot of people who were experiencing quarter-life crisis. And I’m like, “What is it?” What happens when you hit the so-called crisis? I don’t understand why some people have to suffer from this and, worse, dwell on it so much that it makes their lives miserable until it hit me.

We all have this idea that once we reach the age of 25, we must be successful. But what exactly does “success” necessarily mean? Some people are thinking about starting their own families. They own a property, a car, and a lot of money, savings, and investments, and they travel the world. Until, boom! You’re in your mid-twenties and discover you don’t own any of the things mentioned. But it is how you respond to it that makes the difference. I can’t deny that I was affected by it as well. I recently had my 25th birthday in December, and as I scrolled through my social media accounts, I noticed others who were already celebrating their successes, and it hit me like, how come? I was anxious and began questioning everything that had transpired to me. And I’m not sure how long it will last, or how I will conquer this weird feeling.

For the time being, I’m simply going with the flow, despite the fact that I told myself that this year was going to be my year, that I’m going to conquer it, not knowing that I’m going to suffer from it. I pause, I ponder more deeply, and I even ask myself who is responsible for all of this. And I can’t even name anyone since, after all, it’s just me. Nobody can help me; I must get up, face the world, and move on/forward. Because this is life, and I learned that if I want to make something with my life, I am the only one who can do it.

So I start by defining what success means to me. And what is my ultimate life goal? After much thinking, I concluded that my ultimate goal in life is to be genuinely happy. After all, I realized I was working so hard because I wanted everything in life. Why? because I want to be happy, so I’m doing everything I can to make that happen. I was happy to receive my salary in the middle and end of the month because I knew I’d be able to buy something for my family and myself. I want to help other people because it makes me happy. As a result, I understood that genuine happiness equals success for me.

I understand that we all have different definitions of success, but it all comes down to a person’s ultimate goal. But as time went on, I didn’t have to compare my first chapter to someone else’s tenth. I constantly remember that their journey is not the same as mine, but this is God’s written plan for everyone of us. Therefore, we must accept it and learn from it. Only God knows what your future holds, and all we can do is trust in him. Doing what we can and letting God accomplish what we can’t is what trust means.

So, every morning when I wake up, I am thankful for what I have. Because of these things, I wake up every morning genuinely happy.