MM Ep 40: First Key to Happiness

We share the first of our 12 Keys to Happiness and explain why happiness isn’t a finish line but a direction you choose. Direction reframes joy as a daily response, not a destination or a thing you can own.

• the 12 Keys to Happiness program and monthly tokens
• why happiness functions as direction rather than destination
• choosing responses over chasing outcomes
• practical ways to pivot one degree toward joy
• how small, repeatable choices set your path

https://aarondegler.com/

Transcript

Welcome And Program Update

SPEAKER_00 0:00

Welcome back to a mindful moment. Thank you for taking a moment to join me today. Beginning of 2026, I started a new reward program for our perfect attendance. Those that get perfect attendance each month, they get a little award that we give out. Usually it's a charm or different things. But for 2026, I decided to give the 12 keys to happiness. They get a keychain that says 12 keys to happiness, and each month they get a key to happiness. And they get to add that to their keychain. And I thought I'd share, take a minute and share what January, the key to happiness was. January's key to happiness was direction. So many times we look at happiness as a destination, somewhere that once we arrive, then we will forever be happy. But really, it is a direction. Happiness is a direction. It's a direction in our journey. We never finally arrive to happiness. It is we're always working towards happiness. I mean, as we do that, it's it's not a final place that we get there and go, ah, this is it. This is what happiness looks like. And then we forever have it. It's always a direction because we're continually working on it, we're continually building on it. And because happiness is not a thing, it's not a person, it's not a place, it is happiness is within us, within each of us. For what we choose is what happiness looks like. We can be, and it's not based on do we get that thing, do we get to visit that destination, that place? Do we get to be or see a person that makes us happy? It's how do we respond to our journey? How do we respond to everyday things is really what's determines our happiness. So it's a direction as in, do I want, how do I want to respond? What direction do I want to go in my response? Am I going to respond in a way that doesn't make me happy, or am I going to respond in a way that I choose to be happy? Because again, being happy is a choice. It is a direction. It's a direction we choose to go. It's not a destination that will, we get there and it lasts forever. And so we're always continually choosing a direction of happiness. We're always choosing happiness. And it is our choice to choose that happiness because if we don't have the happiness on the inside, then a thing, person, or place will never make us happy. So the challenge is to remember that happiness is simply a direction, a direction that we choose every day, every week, every year, every moment along our journey of life. Thank you for joining me on this week's Mindful Moment. I look forward to seeing you right here next time on Mindful Moments.