We all have goals in life.

Most people set their sights on life after achieving the goal. How things will be, look and feel.

They’ll finally be able to do X, afford Y, but – most of all – they’ll finally be happy.

But that’s usually not where happiness is found.

Happiness is found in the daily process of achieving the goal.

The little things you do day in and day out.

Instead of wanting the life you’d lead after becoming a bestselling author, you need to enjoy writing almost single day.

Instead of wanting the body you’ll get after 6 months of a workout routine, you need to enjoy going to the gym on a daily basis.

Instead of wanting the fancy title or salary that comes with the promotion, you need to enjoy the work you do on a daily basis in your current role.

If you hate the process, what you do day to day, you’re far less likely to achieve the goal.

You’re also probably going to be miserable.

But if you love the daily process and you embrace the daily process, not only do you increase your chances of achieving your goal but you’ll be a heck of a lot happier on a day to day basis.

This isn’t to say that the process will be easy.

On the contrary, many of the things we love are hard to do.

There will be a lot of days where we don’t feel like doing them.

The key isn’t how you feel before you do the thing. It’s how you feel after you do it.

Nobody regrets the feeling they get after finishing something they enjoy, even if it was hard to get started.

So the next time you finish something, ask yourself, “how do I feel?”

Let that be your compass.