Somewhere blended in with our goals, dreams, and higher calling in life, we find ourselves in a world that pursues an endless state of desire, pleasure, and comfort. And yet, we never seem to get enough.
The Endless Chase
We make the weekends the prize of our hard work, yet we can’t fully enjoy them because before Sunday ends, we’re already looking forward to the next one. We check our phones 50 times a day, yet still feel like we need more information to make sense of what’s going on around us. That designated cheat meal easily turns into a day of full-on gluttony (guilty as charged). We binge-watch our favorite series, but when the last episode ends, we go into a period of mourning until something new catches our eye. That all-inclusive vacation we hyped up for months finally arrives—and on the return flight home, we enter a quiet existential crisis. The excitement of the new car smell lasts for a little while, until we realize its purpose remains the same—just with a new warranty.
The Illusion Of Arrival
The happiness we seek is like a train we’re trying to catch—always running just a little late. And when it finally arrives, we step on expecting fulfillment… but before long, we find ourselves right back on the platform, waiting for the next one to come.
We’ve been sold the idea that pleasure is something we climb toward, like a ladder—except what we’re not told is that once we start climbing, there is no top. Every level of success leads to another. You never arrive—you just keep climbing endlessly.
It’s like living on a steady diet of your favorite candy, only to lose the ability to taste fruit. The more we overexpose ourselves to pleasure, the more numb we become to our ability to feel it.
So if our pursuit of pleasure keeps missing the mark, maybe it’s not that pleasure is the problem… maybe it’s the way we’re chasing it.
A Different Way
I’m not suggesting you unsubscribe from Netflix, swear off junk food, or hold off on clicking that “book trip” button. It comes down to where our focus is directed. It’s realizing that we’ve made pleasure our primary compass—and being humble enough to admit we’ve been navigating with a broken instrument.
Happiness isn’t the goal—it’s the byproduct of a life well lived.
Pleasure is like catching a falling snowflake—we have to let it land. The moment we squeeze, it melts. The tighter we grip onto the pleasures of this world, the faster they disappear. Joy is like a bird landing on your shoulder—try to catch it, and it flies away. It’s in the unexpected and in the stillness that joy is invited. Grasping only drives it away.
The Invitation
Happiness isn’t the goal—it’s the byproduct of a life well lived.
So this week, how will you choose to experience pleasure differently?
Notice the moments passing by—those “trains” of happiness you’ve been chasing—and ask yourself: which snowflakes do you actually let land? Pay attention to them—in dating, in what you consume, in the validation you seek, and in your pursuit of purpose.
Instead of trying to jump on every train, or clutch every fleeting moment, what would it look like to simply allow what’s already here?
To notice it… rather than chase it.
To experience it… rather than control it.
To let it land… instead of trying to hold it.
Because the moment you stop trying to capture the feeling… is usually the moment you actually feel it
Getting Back on the Path
Now that you’ve noticed where you’ve been chasing, grasping, or running after moments… let’s bring it into the week ahead.
Try a different approach:
- Notice where you’re gripping instead of experiencing.
Pay attention to the moments you’re trying to extend, control, or recreate—whether it’s refreshing for validation, forcing connection, or chasing the next high. Awareness is the first step to changing your relationship with it.
- Create space to fully experience what’s in front of you.
Slow down your consumption. Whether it’s a meal, a conversation, or a quiet moment—be fully there. The depth of the experience matters more than the frequency. - Shift your focus from outcome to presence.
Instead of asking, “What can I get from this?” start asking, “How can I be in this?” Pleasure isn’t something you arrive at—it’s something you allow.
This week, don’t chase the feeling—make space for it to find you.
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