The true definition of happiness

How do you define success? How do you define happiness? For so many people in this world, success is about money. It's about what you have and how much you have. Most people have goals, and those goals involve money. We have become a materialistic society that values things and money, over people and experiences. We are always trying to get everything, to have all the new things. Unfortunately, we value money and things more than anything else.

But it's time to reevaluate what we value in life. The things that are the most important to us. Just because you make a lot of money, or have a lot of things, that doesn't mean you are winning. We really need to reevaluate what is important to us.

A few years ago, I toke a look around my house. I saw stuff, just meaningless stuff. My daughter had so many toys that she barely even played with, because she had so many. Now I don't regret buying those things. The brought me and my daughter joy. And there is only a certain window when kids really like toys, any ways.

However, I also knew that I had too much. At the end of the day, there are just things. What was really important to me? At the end of my life, did I really want to have a life full of just stuff?

So I started to make a shift. It's not an easy thing to do. Some people go all in. But for me, I decided to do it a little at a time. Going all in was just overwhelming to me.

One thing I started to do was to give experiences, more than gifts. Yes, I still gave my daughter a few gifts. But instead of throwing a party so she could get more toys, I paid for an experience for her instead. For one birthday, I paid for us to go to a hotel that had an indoor water park. The experience of being there with her, being present, was more valuable.

Second, I started to get rid of things. I got rid of a few things at a time. You can always find a couple of things that you aren't using. By doing a little bit at a time, my daughter didn't really notice either. I started to live with less. And what I found was that I really didn't miss anything.

Third, I looked at my life really. I was working full time, being a single parent. I was working so much that I barely got to spend time with my daughter. I knew that was not what I wanted for my life. I wanted to be able to spend time with her, and to be present. It's so easy for us to be on our phones, and to think that we always need to be working hard. But is that really important? Is that really a way of life? Just because you make $80,000 a year, doesn't mean that you are happy with your life. There are so many people that make $50,000 a year, but they are happy with their life and content with where they are. Success and happiness can be anything you want it to be. So I moved in with my boyfriend, and I started looking for work from home. Even if I only make enough to cover my share of the bills, I was okay with that. I want to be able to home with my daughter. To pick her up from the bus, to be there when she's off school, to be able to be present. For me, being able to home for my kids is success. We might only make enough, but that is enough for me.

My peace of mind is knowing that I can be present with my daughter, and really be there. For me, that is happiness and success.

So how do you define success? How do you define happiness?

-T