If happiness doesn’t come easy to you, then you may assume that some people are just naturally happy, that they were always that way, that they never had to work for it.

For some people, that’s true; they won the happiness lottery. But for many, it is not like that.

In the worst case scenario, you might struggle with depression or existential dread, believing that those who do experience joy just never saw things the way you do. In many cases, the opposite is true.

Many people who are very happy have gone to the depths of despair, and come back with a greater understanding. They have learnt to put into context the darkest questions of life, integrating the lessons of meaning or lack of meaning, and letting go those aspects which didn’t serve them.

Perhaps it’s hard to be happy… Perhaps it’s the easiest thing you’ve ever done.