Why Happiness Is a Choice (And Why Success Alone Isn’t Enough)

December 2025 | DailyInspire.ch

This is going to be a long text—meant for reflection rather than a quick skim. Imagine sitting at a table with a cup of coffee, somewhere in Switzerland, and we are talking about what true happiness beyond success and career really means.

1. The Roots of Gratitude and the External Trap

I’m not going to lecture you on psychology textbooks. This is about experience. About what I have lived, thought through, lost, and rebuilt myself. In a few days, I am driving to my grandmother’s grave. I hardly remember her, but I know that for a time, she cared for me intensely and gave me a lot of love. Perhaps that very spark of her love was the initial energy that gave me strength for my path later on. I am going there to say THANK YOU. This inner "thank you" is what brought me to write this text.

Most of us do not practice gratitude consciously, and certainly not every day. Not because it’s complicated—but rather because it seems too simple to really change anything. Over time, I’ve understood: especially with ourselves, the simplest things are often the most effective. I can’t give you exact percentages on how much of our well-being is mental versus how much is nutrition and movement. But one thing is clear: both are crucial. If we only tweak one variable, we only do half the work.

Today, many of us are fixated on happiness from the outside. We are happy when something big and positive happens—a career step, a win. But this kick doesn’t last long. Normal daily life in Switzerland—job, family, paperwork, traffic on the A2, bills—does not consist of permanent highlights. If we attach happiness only to exceptional situations, we miss 90 percent of our lives.

We live in an environment where the message "You can achieve anything" is very present. In reality, this often means: We overburden ourselves, work more and more, and pay with our health or our relationships. If we live primarily for money, position, and image, a central question remains: What is left when the circumstances change? Parallel to this runs the cult of the body. Perfect look, perfect style. I heard about a woman who absolutely wanted to undergo painful surgery, even though objectively nothing was "wrong" with her. The question is: Can you like and accept yourself knowing that your body will change? Is happiness possible without self-acceptance?

2. What Truly Matters in the End

We often live as if our resources were infinite. But when the end draws near, the perspective changes. Australian palliative carer Bronnie Ware documented the five things dying people regret most:

• I wish I’d had the courage to live a life true to myself.
• I wish I hadn’t worked so hard.
• I wish I’d had the courage to express my feelings.
• I wish I had stayed in touch with my friends.
• I wish that I had let myself be happier.

No one says at the end: "I regret not having more money." The question is whether we will draw consequences from this now, in the midst of everyday life in Lucerne, Zurich, or Bern. This is exactly where gratitude comes in. It is not an esoteric trick, but a tool for clarity. It’s like cleaning a window: once the grime of negative thoughts is gone, you have a clear view again. This is, by the way, a principle I follow not just mentally but also quite pragmatically with my company www.glasrein.ch—sometimes you just need to scrub thoroughly to let the light back in.

I live the core of this idea daily now: writing it down has power. When I started writing down what I was grateful for, my everyday life became brighter. Problems didn't disappear, but they became manageable. Gratitude also works physically; it reduces stress and strengthens the immune system.

I wish you more acceptance towards yourself. And I wish for gratitude to become a stable companion in your everyday life—here, in your real Swiss life between public transport, bills, and all the small, normal things. How you want to live is something only you can decide. But how you look at what you already have is something you can change starting today.

Daily Inspire – Kacper