“Nah!”
That was my response ten years ago when my shamanic teacher suggested health and happiness was the purpose of life.
At the time, the idea felt far too simplistic for a modern Western lifestyle. Maybe in Peru – where the economy was less developed and life was slower – health and happiness could be a worthy purpose. But in my world of endless possibilities, ambitions, and distractions, it didn’t seem like enough.
It felt unambitious.
Yet a decade later, I’m beginning to understand that beneath this “simple” purpose lies a far more complex—and profound—truth.
Rethinking Health and Happiness
Being happy means being content with your life 100% of the time, not sometimes or on the weekends.
And being healthy isn’t just the absence of illness or disease. True health is deeper—it’s balance, vitality, and resilience.
When we begin to see health and happiness as a guide, we are really choosing to follow joy. And when joy becomes our compass, everything shifts.
What Happens When Joy Guides Us
We experience life differently, with more presence and awareness.
We notice how our emotions respond to people, places, and activities.
We become more sensitive to:
The people who lift us up—and those who weigh us down.
The activities that energize us—and those that drain our spirit.
The places that make our hearts sing—and those that leave us uneasy.
Joy stops being random. We realize we can create more of it:
By choosing activities that genuinely inspire us.
By spending time with people who bring us alive.
By surrounding ourselves with environments that nourish our hearts.
To choose joy is to say “yes” to life.
Ten years ago, I dismissed health and happiness as too simple a purpose. Now, I see their simplicity is exactly their power.
When we allow joy to guide us, we begin to align with a life that feels meaningful, vibrant, and deeply human.
