Why You Should Settle for True Happiness

the key to inner peace

May 09, 2025

I'm so grateful to experience nature, to feel the wind and the warmth of the sun on my skin. To hear the birds chirping in the morning and the trees rustling. I experience the most peace when I’m surrounded by nature and completely disconnected from the outside world. Nature can be so healing, and the craziest part is it does nothing. It simply just exists as it is. It doesn’t expect anything out of us, and we (hopefully) don’t expect anything out of it. One of my favorite things to do on my walks is to watch the animals, ducks especially. I love how they just swim around the pond without a care in the world. They’re not worried about where they have to be or what they have to do. They’re simply just being.

(enjoy this cute pic I took in AZ)

There is so much beauty in this world and being present allows me to experience it in its entirety. The more I slow down and enjoy the very moment I'm in, the more enjoyable life is. It's such a privilege to be able to slow down. To abandon hustle culture.

All we know is hustle culture, especially here in the states. We've been taught and shown that you need to work yourself to death to get your dream life or to even just earn rest and play. We're constantly fed this idea of being constantly productive, habit stacking, multitasking, etc. And while I understand these are essential at times, I think we're still missing the point.

We deserve to slow down. To enjoy one thing at a time. The present moment is all we have.

Sometimes I just get so caught up in the future. I get so excited for all of these things to happen, and how much better my life will be when it does.

But the truth is life is good now.

If I can't appreciate life now, how will I appreciate it then?

If I keep the same mindset and finally reach whatever outcome I've been waiting for, I'll be happy for a little bit then quickly return back to my state of dissatisfaction. Wishing for something bigger and better.

We always strive for more and more.

But maybe more isn't what we need?

Maybe we just need more presence. More gratitude. More appreciation.

These external things will never truly satisfy us the way we think it will. If we constantly rely on material things or external validation, we will never truly be content with what we have, where we are at in life, and who we are. We will constantly be striving for something else outside of us.

I finished A New Earth by Eckhart Tolle recently (life changing book btw). I gained a new awareness of how much I let my ego and the external world control me. I get so attached to these different identities, outcomes, people, circumstances, and ideas. It's crazy how much influence these have over the way I feel and go about my day.

I quickly realized how I don't want to identify with any of it anymore. I'm tired of overthinking and analyzing every single thing. I'm tired of always chasing and wanting more. Waiting for the future or for something to happen before I can feel peace or joy or even just proud of myself.

Why can't I feel it now?

What's stopping me from feeling it now?

What am I feeling and thinking that's contributing to my suffering?

Why do I feel this overwhelming sense of urgency and like I'm never doing enough or moving fast enough?

I think I've created this expectation of myself and my life and where I should be, what I should have, and how I should be.

I put so much pressure on myself to be this version of success that I haven't even decided whether or not I actually want it. I keep blaming it all on others. I assume others expect me to be wildly successful or to have xyz. So I feel less than when I don't live up to it.

First of all, no one has told me to be any of this. Sure, I feel pressure at times from my parents but most of this pressure I put on myself. This is the idea that I expect myself to live up to. And is this what I truly want or is this what my ego wants?

Is this version of success only something I want because then ~and only then~ will I feel good enough? Is this my way of proving myself to others? Why does it have to be this way? I think at times I do strive for a certain level of "success" because it is a way of proving my worth to others. When I truly think about it, I’m happy with my current life. It’s simple, but I have more than enough. I have everything I need and the longing for more comes from a place of fearing judgement from others. Of feeling not good enough.

I see it in everyone else. They’re always striving for more money, more clothes, a bigger home, a newer car, etc. It’s okay to want these things, but to sacrifice your current happiness for it?

That’s where we go wrong.

Our current state is all we have by the way. This future happiness you’re striving for doesn’t even exist. We like to think that by a newer car or more money will make us happier and solve all of our problems but that’s simply not true. Sure, if you get a newer car, you’ll feel happy but then slowly but surely, you’ll find something else in your life that you’re missing or lacking in. These external things might alleviate some of your worries, but there will always be something else. Something else that you don’t have. This is why it’s so important to create this inner peace within yourself. To realize that nothing and no one can make you feel whole or empty. To stop looking outside of yourself for happiness.

Life is so much more enjoyable when you accept where you're at. When you realize that the present moment is all there is. There is no future. That only lives in your mind. All there is, is now. Our purpose is to live in the now. Not to dwell about the past or worry about all you “need” to do later. It's not later. It's now. I promise if you focus more on the present and what's currently in front of you, your life will change.

When you're hanging out with your friends, be fully there. Don't think about what happened at work earlier or all that you have to do when you go home. Be fully present with your friends and watch your relationships change. Same with work. Even if you hate your job, just accept that you have to be there at this current moment. Make peace with it. Understand that this is your current situation but also know that it's temporary. Just like everything else.

Nothing in this life is permanent or certain. The sooner you make peace with it, the easier and more joyful your life will be. You will realize how fleeting moments and circumstances and even people are. You will learn to appreciate the current moment for what it is because you know it won't be around forever.

And that can be seen as a "good" or a "bad" thing in your mind. If you're experiencing something undesirable, you will soon realize that this moment will pass and you won't experience this forever, which will bring you a sense of peace. And if you're experiencing something that brings you joy, you will learn to enjoy the moment even more because you know that it won't last forever.

This is how you create an enriching life. Making peace with each moment and with everything you're experiencing.

So, how do you actually make peace with your current situation?

By no means am I an expert, but there is so much I have learned in the last few years that have completely transformed my state of living. I went from a state of chronic (and oftentimes, debilitating) anxiety and depression. I was constantly in a state of overthinking, panic and unease. I complained about anything and everything, and never felt truly happy. I felt like a helpless victim. I didn’t feel in control of my thoughts, my actions or my life.

Fast forward to today, I finally feel in control of my life. I don’t experience debilitating anxiety or depression anymore, and if I feel myself coming back to those states, I know how to get myself out of it. I don’t let myself suffer in the past or in the future anymore. I’m more accepting of my current situation and where I’m at. When I’m experiencing more calm in my life, I’m able to think more clearly and make better decisions. To take more aligned action towards my dream life.

It certainly wasn’t easy getting to where I’m at now, but it was so worth it. It takes a lot of self love and devotion to get to this place. A deep inner knowing that you know you deserve better, and the discipline to actually give yourself better.

There is so much that I’ve done and learned that has helped me come to this state of peace.

Baking Magic 🔮✨🍰

Discussion about this post