The Meaning of Life (Maybe)

*** This post is actually from June that I never got around to posting

Never really thought I'd be thinking of this concept until I was "older". But I've been thinking about it lately, does that mean I'm "older" now?

Anyway, here's how the thought process has gone so far. At first I was thinking, what is it exactly I want to accomplish. It's a pretty broad question, there are so many areas in life, so the list could be fairly large. From there I guess I broke down life into blocks, very much in the "Up in the Air" manner. You have social (family/friends), pursuits (work/interests), material (stuff you want to obtain) and oneself (personal growth). I kinda of skimmed through this fairly casually, but I'm meaning to actually write a list down in more detail. Though another thought kind of stopped me from doing so earlier.

This thought was, what is it that makes me happy or will make me happy. Will accomplishing any of these things make me happy? Then I started thinking, are these things that I want, or goals or expectations that outside forces (other people, society as a whole, etc...) want for me? Perhaps I will feel a sense of accomplishment, but joy and accomplishment are two different things that don't always go hand in hand, and I guess can be easily confused.

Then from there it became about a definition of happiness. I guess there are many ways to happy, not just this bursting excitement. For example, I am happy that I have somewhere to live, but it's not something I celebrate. I suppose there's a happiness based on contentment, relaxation and security.

But maybe I'm over complicating things. Maybe it really all comes down to the present moment in time. Am I happy doing what I'm doing right now? I guess I figure a whole bunch of small happy moments together would culminate into general happiness over a long period of time.