How do I actually become happy?
As long as you're looking for something in your life to be different, trying to fix the things or the people around you in order to make yourself happy, you'll never be happy. Happiness is an inside job. It happens within your soul, and it is a fulfillment in your relationship with God. You don't have to do anything grandiose or change the world. The only person we're called to change the world by is ourself.
That is the famous word of St Silouan the Athonite: I want to change the whole world, but I want to change the world by one, meaning himself. If God can cure and fix the things within my soul that need to be changed, the whole world becomes a better place. Yet we think we can ignore fixing what is bothering us and go fix everything around us instead. It doesn't make any sense.
Meaning and purpose are found in a relationship with your heavenly Father, in worshipping our Lord Jesus Christ, through the indwelling of the Holy Spirit and service to the people around us. When we are devoted to these things in a simple way, the contentment in our souls is unmatched.
