Why Chasing Happiness Is Keeping You From Being Happy, with Sarah Collins | #636

Are you chasing happiness, success, or the "next thing" in life, only to find that the moment you reach it, you're still not truly fulfilled?After more than 20 years as a civil engineer, Sarah Collins realised that the version of success she had been pursuing wasn't actually what she wanted. Her journey through depression, overthinking, mindfulness, meditation, and self-inquiry helped her recognise how thought patterns and conditioning can shape the way we experience reality. In this conversation, she explores why we so often fight against the present moment, believe the stories our minds tell us, and postpone happiness until some future event.Learn how to create distance from your thoughts instead of automatically believing or following them.Discover simple ways to practise acceptance in everyday situations and reduce unnecessary emotional struggle.Understand why happiness isn't something you need to achieve in the future, and how fully experiencing every moment, including difficult emotions, can change the way you live.Play the episode to discover how noticing your thought patterns, accepting the present moment, and letting go of the constant pursuit of future happiness can help you stop fighting with life and start living it more fully.˚KEY POINTS AND TIMESTAMPS:01:09 - Meet Sarah Collins: From Civil Engineer to Life Coach02:41 - Redefining Success and Letting Go of Society's Expectations05:48 - Living with Depression, Overthinking, and Low Self-Worth07:02 - You Are Not Your Thoughts10:29 - The Stories We Believe About Ourselves12:33 - Practicing Acceptance: Start with the Small Things15:34 - Rethinking Happiness as a Present-Moment Experience22:38 - Self-Inquiry, Spiritual Teachers, and Finding Your Own Answers29:21 - Closing Thoughts, Where to Find Sarah, and Final Takeaways˚MEMORABLE QUOTE:"The more you notice those thought patterns, the more you notice how it’s creating your reality—you stop fighting with life and start living."˚VALUABLE RESOURCES:Sarah's website: https://www.livingfullywithsarah.com/˚Coaching with Agi: https://personaldevelopmentmasterypodcast.com/mentor🎙️ Want to be a guest on Personal Development Mastery?Message Agi on PodMatch: https://www.podmatch.com/member/personaldevelopmentmastery˚Personal development podcast for midlife professionals, offering actionable insights for personal growth, mindset tips, self mastery and purposeful living.˚Send us a textSupport the showSubscribe to our weekly email: https://personaldevelopmentmasterypodcast.com/email---A personal development podcast for midlife professionals, offering mindset tips and practical tools for personal growth, self mastery, personal mastery, and purposeful living. Discover psychology tips for emotional intelligence and growth mindset, including overcoming impostor syndrome and building self mastery.Personal Development Mastery features personal development interviews and solo episodes empowering professionals, entrepreneurs, and seekers to cultivate self mastery and create a meaningful, fulfilling life aligned with who they truly are.To support the show, click here.