As humans, one of our greatest thinking errors is the belief that how it is right now is how it is going to be forever.

In my opinion, a big reason for this thinking error is that change doesn’t happen the way we expect it to. We picture change as an epic before-and-after moment: the phone call with life-changing news, the person who stumbles across your path and changes it forever, setting out on a grand adventure.

Real change is more subtle than that. It often seems like nothing is happening, until suddenly you look around, and your whole world has changed without you noticing it. You realize: “Wow, I’m happy now,” or “Look how far I’ve come,” or “Isn’t it remarkable that I responded in that new way?”

Remember that change is coming, even if you can’t see it yet. Have faith in the world’s ever-changing nature, and remember that even the hardest moments do not last forever. Have faith in yourself: you’re working hard, doing your best, and contributing to the world. Good things are coming for you. I can feel it!

Old Happy: “I’ll be happy when I get there.” New Happy: “I am creating a happy life each and every day.”

It's so easy to imagine a good life as a destination: somewhere we arrive when we have finally eliminated our problems and struggles. Then, we think, I’ll experience perpetual joy. But there is no life where that is possible.

A meaningful, happy life will inevitably involve difficult experiences and emotions. You can’t work towards a cause that you care about without feeling stress; you can’t craft a fulfilling relationship without tending to your wounds; you can’t grow as a person without experiencing fear. It will always be an experience of wins and challenges; joys and pains; meetings and farewells; transfigurations and disintegrations. All of our experiences contribute to the mosaic that is a happy life.

Here are a few small ways to put this idea into practice.