Happiness Has Seasons

Some people treat happiness like a puzzle you’re supposed to solve once and for all—find the right piece, put it in place, and you’d be set for good. But happiness isn’t a finished picture. It’s more like the weather. It changes. It has seasons. What brings us joy in one chapter of life can feel oddly flat in another. And that isn’t a sign that we’re doing something wrong or that we’re ungreatful. It might just mean we’ve entered a new season.

Think about the things that lit you up ten years ago. Do they still have the same effect today?

I have friends who once lived for red-eye flights and spur-of-the-moment trips, backpacking through far-flung countries. Now their favorite kind of joy looks quieter: a slow weekend at home, brewing the perfect cup of coffee, reading to their kids on a Saturday morning.

And I’ve seen the opposite, too. People who used to find comfort in routine and quiet, but in a later season of life discovered a hunger for adventure and surprise. None of them are “wrong” about what makes them happy. They’ve just changed, and so has their definition of happy. What nourished them in a previous season isn’t what they need in this one.

This actually mirrors something I teach in entrepreneurship. What makes someone an A+ employee in the earliest days of a startup—doing a little bit of everything, thriving in chaos, sprinting without a map—is often not what makes them an A+ employee when that company is growing and scaling. Later stages require focus, structure, depth, and a different kind of discipline. Same person, different season. Different definition of excellence. Happiness works much the same way. You have to ask what the season requires.

One of my favorite lines on this subject comes from philosopher George Santayana: “To be interested in the changing seasons is a happier state of mind than to be hopelessly in love with spring.” Falling “hopelessly in love” with one version of happiness—one golden era, one rhythm, one identity—might actually leave us less happy in the long run. Because even spring, lovely as it is, gives way to summer, then fall, then winter. If you spend all of fall longing for the summer sun, you’ll miss what fall offers: crisp air, vibrant leaves, the beauty of letting go. Each season brings its own kind of beauty, its own purpose, its own challenges. What fulfills us can and should evolve.

It’s an interesting exercise to reflect on what genuinely brings you contentment or excitement right now. What do you need in this moment to feel fulfilled, to feel alive? How is it different from five or ten years ago? This kind of reflection quietly acknowledges something important: you’ve grown. (That’s a good thing.)

Maybe you’ll realize that something you used to value (like constant hustle and work) no longer feels as rewarding, and that relaxation or family time has taken its place. Or maybe the opposite: you’ve discovered an ambitious streak later in life, and you’re happiest pursuing goals you once postponed. Either way, the shift isn’t a problem to fix. It’s information. It’s your life telling you the weather has changed.

The point is, there’s no static formula for happiness across a lifetime. And that’s actually a relief. It means if you’re feeling a little disconnected from the things that used to make you happy, you’re probably just in a new season. Consider it an invitation rather than a loss. A gentle nudge toward a new kind of joy that better fits who you are today.

Until next time,

Laura