For me, happiness comes when I live intentionally. Not only do I feel pride when I accomplish my goals, I look forward to designing a life that is centered around growth.

What I consider growth, others may consider a setback. If the point of existence is to find happiness, growth is the road that leads there.

I will frequently take inventory of my life and the values that guide it. If there are pieces of my life that have unhealthy levels of stress, I work to understand why and make the effort to grow in that area.

• Instead of living paycheck to paycheck, I’ve learned to live beneath my means and use the surplus to save, invest, and spend on opportunity.
• Instead of trying to amass possessions, I try to amass experiences.
• Instead of avoiding pain at all costs, accepting it as part of life, and at times even welcoming it as a friend.
• Instead of sitting around and snacking, I’ve found the enjoyment of adopting an active lifestyle and pushing my boundaries.

Although the pain periods of growth can be arduous, looking back, it’s always been worth it. Growth is happiness.