Pursuit of Happyness 2.0

In June 2022, one of my earliest blogs explored a timeless idea:

“There is no way to happiness — happiness is the way.” — Thich Nhat Hanh

That line stayed with me because it reminds us that happiness isn’t earned through milestones — it’s shaped by how we move through life. Every path, whether stable or uncertain, brings its own challenges. What we can control is our mindset, our values, and the meaning we take from each moment.

Over time, I’ve realised that happiness grows when we stop chasing distant goals and start noticing the progress we’ve already made. The challenges we’ve overcome and the small wins along the way ground us and give us the confidence to move forward.

For me, the pursuit of happyness is simple: Be present. Stay positive. Give your best to the moment in front of you.

If the work is meaningful, it doesn’t matter whether I’m building something of my own or contributing to someone else’s. Purpose matters more than labels.

🔥 Becoming Antifragile

I’ve learned over time that life doesn’t always unfold the way we expect. Every path — whether stable or uncertain — brings its own pressures and turning points. And the one thing we can always shape is our inner response: how we think, how we interpret moments, and how we move forward.

Recently, I came across a powerful talk by Tal Ben-Shahar on Big Think that gave language to something I had felt since childhood: antifragility, a concept introduced by Nassim Taleb.

He began with a line that immediately struck me:

“There are only two kinds of people who don’t experience painful emotions: psychopaths — and the dead.”

Pain and discomfort are not signs that something is wrong.
They’re signs that life is happening.

We often assume happiness means being in a good mood all the time. But the science of wellbeing tells us the opposite: to live meaningfully, we must learn to accept — and grow through — difficult emotions.

That’s where antifragility comes in.

• Resilience helps us bounce back.
• Antifragility helps us bounce forward — stronger than before.

Just as muscles grow through stress, humans grow through challenges. Psychologists call this post-traumatic growth — the process of becoming wiser, steadier, and more grounded because of hardship.

Antifragility isn’t about avoiding difficulty — it’s about learning how to rise through it.

My Pursuit of Happyness 2.0

There are only two things in life we don’t get to choose:
how we are born and how we die.

Everything in between is shaped by decisions — moral, emotional, practical, and intuitive. These choices define who we become.

In my own journey, I’ve tried to stay aligned with a simple philosophy:

Stay positive → Stay ethical → Keep moving forward.

I’ve failed, stumbled, paused, restarted, and questioned myself many times. But I’ve never lost sight of what feels right or what aligns with my values. That internal compass has guided me through uncertainty.

For me, this is the Pursuit of Happyness 2.0 — not chasing something external, but growing stronger, clearer, and more grounded through every experience.

Happiness built from within.
Not avoidance of pain, but growth through it.
Not perfection, but antifragility.

What Do You Think?

How do you define your own pursuit of happyness?
Has adversity shaped or strengthened your journey?

I’d love to hear your thoughts.

🌱 A Look Back
If this journey resonates with you, you might appreciate my earlier piece where I first explored the idea of happyness (with a Y) and what it means to build a life anchored in purpose and positivity.

🔗 Read the earlier post: https://iamgrt.com/pursuit-of-happyness/

🤝 Let’s Collaborate

I’m a Canada-based entrepreneur and strategist who works at the intersection of clarity, resilience, and personal reinvention — helping people and businesses navigate uncertainty with purpose and strength.

This reflection on the Pursuit of Happyness 2.0 touches on something foundational: growth doesn’t come from avoiding pressure, but from rising through it.

Whether it’s building careers, companies, or inner confidence, antifragility is at the heart of meaningful progress.

If you’re exploring change — starting something new, redesigning your path, or building a more grounded way forward — I’d be glad to support your journey.

🔭 What I Focus On

🌱 Personal & Professional Reinvention
Helping individuals and founders realign goals, mindset, and direction during uncertain transitions.

🧭 Strategic Clarity & Decision-Making
Bringing structure to ambiguity so people and teams can move forward with confidence.

⚙️ Resilient Systems & Growth Strategies
Guiding businesses to build foundations that stay steady even when the market — or life — becomes unpredictable.

🧩 How I Help

💡 Clarity Coaching & Advisory
Supporting founders, professionals, and teams as they navigate complexity, uncertainty, and high-pressure decisions.

📈 Growth & Transformation Strategy
Helping small businesses and startups strengthen their models, storytelling, and long-term direction.

🌐 Cross-Cultural & Global Expansion Insight
Advising organizations exploring new markets, new audiences, or new forms of value creation.

Across all of this, one principle holds true:

The real edge — in work and in life — isn’t avoiding difficulty.
It’s learning how to grow stronger through it.

Because whether we’re building companies or building ourselves,
resilience is the real strategy — and trust is the true engine.

🌐 Building something new?
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We’ve used it for our client websites for over a decade — it’s fast, secure, and built for creators who want peace of mind.

🔔 Stay Connected
If this story on perspective, resilience, and transformation resonated with you, let’s keep the conversation going.

👉 Subscribe to my newsletter, Beyond Growth Playbook, for insights on strategy, technology, and transformation: iamgrt.kit.com.