Four myths about happiness

Myth 1: Happiness is something you have to find

Our culture is full of misconceptions about happiness.

The first myth is that happiness is something you have to find, like hidden treasure.

The reality is that happiness isn't found, it's built.

Myth 2: You have to wait for the "perfect moment" to be happy

The second myth is that you have to wait for the perfect moment. We live postponing our happiness: ''I'll be happy when...''.

In this way, we are never happy in the present.

Myth 3: Happiness is an absolute term (you either have it or you don't)

The third myth is to treat happiness as an absolute term, as if it were an on/off switch.

The reality is that it is a spectrum, a combination of good and bad moments.

Myth 4: Being happy is incompatible with feeling negative emotions

The fourth myth is believing that happiness is incompatible with negative emotions. We think that to be happy we must always be joyful.

A full and happy life includes the full range of human emotions. The key is not to avoid unpleasant emotions, but to learn to manage them.

Summary

The first myth about happiness is to think that it is something that must be found, when in reality happiness is built day by day, it is not discovered like a hidden treasure.

Another common mistake is to wait for the "ideal moment" to be happy, which leads us to postpone joy and not enjoy the present, trapped in constant waiting.

Furthermore, happiness is not an absolute state, but a spectrum that includes good and bad moments. It is not incompatible with negative emotions; a full life involves learning to manage all types of emotions.