Stop not with searching for happiness

Wim-Lex's advice in his speech: happiness should not become an obsession. It is normal to be uncertain, don't reflect on yourself all the time and don't set the bar too high. For the first two, I thought: YES and for the last one I thought: huh? Because: what if no one sets the bar high anymore?

I foresee meandering talk shows while we are waiting for a real battle between Op1 and Jinek. No sensational revelations in the news, because we are doing just fine and what else do we need to know? And inventors are taking vacation days en masse, because the bar can be normal and by acting normal we have actually never solved anything. A bit of a leisurely ride around Zandvoort for Max later this year, because we certainly are not coming to win.

Of course we keep going, we polish our social media more than necessary and we pursue happiness like a bunch of maniacs. Agreed, King Willem-Alexander, agreed. But you would almost lose the urge to do something that elevates you above yourself through those words. You see all that wise nonsense about your comfort zone and coloring within the lines everywhere, but serious work really always takes place right on the edge (or beyond).

Is the pursuit of happiness really so bad for you that even our king feels called to reflect on it? Or is it perhaps good that we openly admit to searching for happiness? If you type ‘searching for happiness’ into Google, you automatically get the suggestion: ‘makes unhappy’. But I advocate for a time when it is normal to be the happiest version of yourself. Going for happiness and seeing how far you get.

This morning I spoke to someone who had spent two whole (!) days indoors with his family between Christmas and New Year's. A bit of Netflix, food in the oven, and looking at each other. Happiness, I saw in him. But I also saw someone traveling by camper through the snowy mountains. Happiness, I am sure. Is that no longer allowed?

It lies in big and small, the king was certainly right about that, but I have never heard that anyone became happier by lowering the bar and not trying anymore.