No One Wants to Be Unhappy. No One Wants to Be Unsuccessful. No One Wants to Be a Fool.

Let that sink in.

It’s a simple truth. An obvious one. So obvious, we rarely pause to think about it. But it hides a quiet tragedy—because despite this shared, universal desire, so many of us end up feeling exactly those things: unhappy, unsuccessful, and foolish.

Why?

The Tragedy of Misdirection

Most people don’t actively choose the wrong path. They follow what seems like the right one. What they’ve been told, taught, or tempted into believing. They chase what appears to bring happiness. They pursue what looks like success. They trust what sounds like wisdom.

And yet, they arrive at destinations they never meant to reach.

The problem isn’t intent. The intent is pure.
The problem is misdirection.

We are sold a version of happiness that’s loud, curated, and external. We’re told success is wealth and followers and logos on our resumes. And when we don’t achieve those things—or do, only to feel hollow—we question ourselves. Not the definitions.

We feel unhappy and think, “Something’s wrong with me.”
We feel behind and think, “I must not be working hard enough.”
We feel lost and think, “Maybe I’m just not smart enough.”

But what if we were just given the wrong script?

The World Doesn’t Teach Us to Think—It Teaches Us to Absorb

From early childhood, most of us are conditioned to conform, not to inquire. We’re taught to memorize, not to reflect. To repeat, not to reinvent.

The default path is absorption. Beliefs, ambitions, values—imported wholesale from parents, teachers, Instagram influencers, or corporate cults.

And here’s the painful irony:
Everyone thinks they’re thinking for themselves.

Very few actually are.

Because real thinking is uncomfortable. It forces you to challenge things that have defined you. It asks you to say “I don’t know” far more often than “I’m right.” It makes you a beginner again.

But it’s only when you start thinking deeply, not just reacting or performing, that you realize—

• Maybe I’m unhappy because I’ve been chasing someone else’s happiness.
• Maybe I feel unsuccessful because I’m measuring myself by someone else’s scoreboard.
• Maybe I feel foolish not because I am one, but because I trusted a broken system too long.

Wisdom Isn’t Avoiding Mistakes—It’s Owning Your Frame

Everyone is winging it. Some just do it more mindfully.

True wisdom doesn’t come from never being wrong. It comes from being wrong, and noticing it. From failing, and staying awake through it. From being a fool, and using it as fertilizer for clarity.

Because sometimes, you need to be a fool once—to stop being one forever.

But the only way out of that loop is to question:
Who am I listening to?
What am I aiming for?
Why am I doing what I’m doing?

Most people never ask. They’re too busy trying not to fall behind.

But if you’re reading this, maybe you’ve paused long enough to realize…

You’re not here to follow the script.

You’re here to write your own.

Choose Again

No one wants to be unhappy.
No one wants to be unsuccessful.
No one wants to be a fool.

And yet, if we blindly pursue the world’s definitions of happiness, success, and wisdom—we might become all three.

So choose again.

Choose happiness that feels like peace, not just pleasure.
Choose success that looks like meaning, not just metrics.
Choose the kind of wisdom that comes from honest self-inquiry, not applause.

And know this:

You’re not behind.
You’re not broken.
You’re just waking up.

And that’s the beginning of something real.