In our big quest to attain what we think are the ingredients for a good life, we often forget to actually live. I came across an interesting blog, http://www.fourhourworkweek.com/blog/, created by Tim Ferriss, author of "The Four-hour work week". He advocates living your life the way you really want it to be, and not be trapped by your own dreams.

Reading about his life and methods made me think about my own. What have I been doing to further myself, to bring me closer to my dreams? Have I lapsed into a mechanical subservience, something I'm so strongly against? What have I done to change the world around me, to make it a better and more enjoyable place? And when answers return, mostly negative, I ask 'why not?' Why haven't I tried to make my life a little happier, even when I know how I can do so?

There is something odd about how people perceive happiness. Happiness is such an abstract concept that we try to place it into definite terms, by associating it to goals and targets that we set for ourselves. We tell ourselves that if we achieve 'this', we will be happy; if we get 'this', we will be in a better place than we are at - we will be happier.

Look 2 years into the past and think about what you wanted back then. Those were the fluffy 'dreams' that consumed us 2 years ago. These goals and targets could've been anything; the job you had wanted, the grades you yearned for, the windfall in the lottery, the new gadget on the market, the clothes you wanted to purchase. I believe at least some of these goals, especially the practical ones, have been fulfilled and checked off your list. But how much happier are you, compared to 2 years ago?

We have an ever-changing list of things to check off, and we tell ourselves we will be fully happy when this list is completed. But therein lies the problem; we are open to stimuli every day, shaping and changing this list of goals and targets along the way. We are yearning for a happiness which is determined on the completion of a non-exhaustive list. We are chasing the end of a race which doesn't end.

Goals are not evil. They allow us to put deadlines and craft the path to meet our dreams. It is not the result of an action which changes the course of our happiness, but our perception of this path towards this action. A happiness derived from enjoyment is much more fulfilling than one derived from attainment. Understanding this frees us from the chase in an unending race. Real happiness is within ourselves, and learning to overcome the plague of associating happiness to something else is what prevents us from experiencing it.