The Happiness Secret

You've heard it said
and believed
You must have a career
to succeed in life

So you specialized
and studied hard
to earn a diploma
in your chosen calling

Your diploma hung
framed on your wall
A symbol of dedication
to the career of your choosing

You worked hard
and did the work expected of you
You worked to fill a vision
of what you wanted from life

Years of devotion
for your employer
So you could afford
a vacation every year

Yet strangely, something was missing
as all those years passed
The job lacked vibrancy
as deadlines were met

You looked forward to the end
of another typical workday
You felt like a cog in the corporate machine
with no individuality

Your talents were welcomed
and you did your job well
But you felt unfulfilled
you knew you could do far more

Others with less skills than you
were somehow more successful
You put it down to the generation gap
and a company searching fo fresh talent

Excuses were easy to come by
as you struggled to meet financial obligations
Happiness was something off in the distance
You just had to work a little harder

A doubling of income would make life pleasurable
so you could enjoy the finer things
You based success on your bank account size
and remained miserable

But you failed to realize there are no secrets
but one, too easily overlooked
The greatest secret to happiness  is simply
to enjoy what life gives you today