024 choosing happiness

Sometimes we have to choose our happiness and be active participants in our lives. I was in an Uber a few nights ago and struck up a conversation with the driver, who, like me, was a New Yorker at heart. He told me how he and his wife moved to LA a few years ago in search of something elusive: happiness, freedom, and change.

And suddenly, it hit me: life is so short. We spend so much time waiting for things to fall into place, but maybe the key is simply to just do the thing. Make the bold move. Take the chance. Leap into the unknown.

But really, what are we all waiting for? Permission? A sign? A green light to tell us it’s okay to chase after what we want?

Happiness doesn’t just arrive when it’s convenient. It’s not something that waits for us to feel “ready” or for us to have everything figured out. Sometimes, happiness is a choice: a conscious and sometimes rebellious decision to stop letting fear and uncertainty control our lives.

If we’re passive in our lives, we’ll always struggle to take action, seek opportunities, or say what needs to be said.

I’ve had this conversation with clients more times than I can count, about getting out of their own way. We hold ourselves back from so much. Why do we do that? We hesitate, second-guess, ask everyone else for advice. We convince ourselves we’re not worthy of the life we dream of, staying stuck in safe, comfortable places because it feels easier than stepping into the unknown. Sometimes, we don’t even feel worthy of having more.

But what if we could change that? What if the next step we took wasn’t out of fear, but out of faith in ourselves? What would it look like to decide we are worthy of that leap? To take a bet on ourselves? We’re all just waiting for the courage to take the first step—and honestly, who can blame us?

Maybe the boldest thing we can do is take that first step, without the promise of perfection or the guarantee of success.

Maybe the boldest thing is trusting that what’s on the other side of risk is worth it.

So, why not take the chance?