I throw around a lot of “____ is overrated” these days. I
suppose being unimpressed comes with age, but it’s also probably because I’ve
grown tired of getting too — for lack of a better word — enthusiastic.
I say that word like it’s a bad thing, but it’s not. Passion
is everything, especially when you’re on to something that keeps blood running
through your veins. We all need something to work on, to keep our hands busy. A
project that needs to get done within a certain period. A target, a perceived
goal. Without it, we’re lost. And without passion, we’re dead.
But passion can also pull us down too deep into the rabbit
hole until we forget about the real world above the ground.
Sometimes we get too caught up with gunning for whatever would
make us happy, and in the process we become oblivious to the fact that there’s
actually a good chance that we might fail. Sure, everybody says things like “give
it your best” or “follow your heart” or whatnot, but when you’ve been through
several instances when you had to go all-in on something so potentially
rewarding and end up with nothing, you’d have no choice but to take it easy the
next time around.
I’ve learned that the degree of happiness one can attain depends on how much he or she has emotionally invested on something. The higher the stakes, the higher the potential for overwhelming happiness, the higher the risk for devastation.
When I was in my early 20s, I felt like there was no other choice
but to be aggressive with whatever I bump into in life. I've jumped into premature relationships, I've ventured into shady career paths, I've lived independently, I
partied hard and I took a big bite of the cake. I invested a huge part of me to
things that I wasn’t sure would last. I placed my bets like a high-roller every
time I saw an opportunity. I had the world to lose and so little to gain.
There was nothing up my sleeves to prepare me for the
possibility of failure; in fact, failure was a concept that was almost
nonexistent in my operating system. I had the time of my life.
But looking back, that brand of happiness doesn’t even come
close to the real thing. All that was just artificial gratification. Real
happiness is when you’re finally able to perceive life and make decisions while
fully knowing what you’re getting into. Finding your place under the sun. Being
able to discern what’s right from wrong and being accountable for every action
you make.
Happiness is a frame of mind. But more importantly, it’s a
sustained frame of mind.
We can’t just live our lives taking chances every single
day. There should be an endeavor to achieve stability and disposition. Being unpredictable
and uncertain can be tempting, but at the end of the day, we all look for
something permanent that we can lean on as we fight our daily, mundane battles.
