Happiness Today.

Today's Marketing Cookie is about finding joy in the present moment while pursuing personal growth.

There is great benefit in making plans to chart a course toward new horizons. The CEO communicates a vision of prosperity for the company, and you craft a strategic marketing plan to convey this message to employees, customers, and the marketplace. This plan serves as a roadmap, guiding everyone toward a common goal.

We do this in life as well. We have a vision for who we wish to become and lay out the steps for self-improvement. Setting these personal goals helps us stay focused and motivated. The thing about improvement is that perfection cannot be attained, and the closer we look, the more flaws we see.

Benjamin Franklin created a list of twelve virtues he aimed to live by: temperance, silence, order, resolution, frugality, industry, sincerity, justice, moderation, cleanliness, tranquility, and chastity. Each day, he tracked his progress by marking a black mark on his notebook if he failed to uphold any virtue. Over time, Franklin noticed fewer black marks, reflecting his improved adherence to the virtues he aspired to achieve. However, when he proudly shared his accomplishment with a Quaker friend, the friend pointed out that Franklin had omitted one crucial virtue: humility.

Like rubbing the genie’s lamp, our aspirations include being thinner, smarter, richer, stronger, happier, or braver. Did I already say richer? We set goals like running a marathon, learning a new language, playing the guitar, or finally organizing the closet. When we fall short, we add a black mark to our proverbial ledger, reflecting every setback.

Today’s fortune suggests that you must make these changes before achieving happiness. I disagree. While achieving goals and making improvements are gratifying, looking to the future for happiness is precisely why many have yet to find it.

When constantly chasing ideal improvements and a better version of ourselves for tomorrow, we miss out on the joy and contentment available to us right now. Happiness is not a distant destination but a state of mind we can cultivate today. By appreciating how far we’ve come and enjoying the journey itself, we find a more profound, lasting fulfillment that isn't dependent on future achievements. By creating a mindset of happiness today, you’ll be glad you didn’t listen to the implication of today’s fortune when it says, “You will make many changes before settling down happily.”