NFA Finance

For a long time, I thought happiness was something you arrived at.

A destination.

A milestone.

A certain amount of money.

A certain house.

A certain car.

A certain level of success.

The problem is that every time I reached one of those goals, the feeling didn’t last very long.

I’d hit the target.

Celebrate for a minute.

Then start looking toward the next thing.

For years, I thought that was a problem.

Now I think it’s just who I am.

What I’ve realized is that I’m not happiest when I’ve arrived.

I’m happiest when I’m growing.

Growth gives me energy.

Growth gives me purpose.

Growth gives me something to look forward to.

When I’m learning, building, improving, creating, or moving forward, I feel alive.

When I’m standing still, I don’t.

That’s true in almost every area of my life.

Business.

Fitness.

Relationships.

Content.

The blog.

The YouTube channel.

The funny thing is that growth doesn’t have to be dramatic.

Sometimes it’s two new subscribers.

Sometimes it’s one blog post.

Sometimes it’s a better conversation than the one you had yesterday.

Sometimes it’s simply becoming a little more disciplined than you were last week.

The size of the growth isn’t what matters.

The direction does.

I think that’s why progress feels so rewarding.

It’s evidence that you’re becoming someone different.

Someone better.

Someone more capable.

People often talk about happiness like it’s something you find.

I’ve started to think happiness is something you build.

And the raw material is growth.

Growth creates momentum.

Momentum creates confidence.

Confidence creates opportunities.

And opportunities create more growth.

It’s a cycle.

One that keeps pulling you forward.

Today, I’m sitting here with 86 published blog posts.

Twenty-two straight days of blogging.

Twenty-two Friday Night Valet Notes lives.

One hundred fifty-four straight days of posting videos.

Those numbers don’t make me happy because they’re impressive.

They make me happy because they represent growth.

Proof that I’m moving forward.

Proof that I’m not standing still.

That’s why I believe growth equals happiness.

Not because growth guarantees success.

Because growth gives life direction.

And direction is a powerful thing.

— Nicholas Francis