Project Happiness Articles — journey

Each year tens of thousands of college students cross a commencement stage somewhere in our nation and begin their pursuit of the American dream. Collectively, they share a single purpose to make it in the “real” world, but individually they have a multitude of pathways to consider.

At first, this title makes us feel like we’re entering a dark room. But I promise this darkness won’t stay for long, and by the end of the article, as our mind understands and gets comfortable with this truth of life, we will see bursts of light.

Moving abroad may sound a bit frightening - after all, it means being surrounded by strangers, in a new place, having to adjust to a new culture. You would have to leave behind everything you know and love. But if you take your eyes off the challenges, you will realize there are numerous ways in which moving to another country can improve your life incredibly and make you happier.

Deep inside we’re all lost, our souls hungry for places that still have some archetype of a wonder we’re eagerly searching. That’s why we’ve put together this short list of destinations where you can find your soul food and reconnect with your inner self again.

This is why I have walked over 5,400 miles in 600 days over the course of the past 6 years talking to people about happiness and researching what we, in the United States, believe truly matters in life: identifying our common values and characteristics of a thriving nation.

I think about that afternoon when we played touch football in the park, with winter fast approaching. I remember the smile on my brother’s face. How he did the best with what he had and how it was enough. How it can always be enough, if we learn to accept it.

I like it because you can embark on whatever you wish. How delightful it would be if we all, instead of "having to do", " should get done" or "must finish", we simply embarked on every day, every task, every thing as though we were compelled by this work to simply journey without necessarily knowing the ending.