I want to begin this article with a phrase that struck me when I heard it from a prestigious speaker at a business school: “Who doesn’t like to earn more money?” And, of course, this speaker was no exception, but this extra money came as a result of preparing and delivering increasingly more and better lectures.

In this regard, extrapolating from the speaker’s reflection, the point I want to make is that happiness shouldn’t be something we seek, but rather a consequence of it. It is, I believe, as Viktor Frankl said: “Happiness cannot be pursued; it must be secured as a side effect of dedication to a cause greater than oneself.” And to that end, I would like to share some personal experiences that I associate with the pursuit of happiness.

First, I should mention that we spent the Christmas holidays in Buenos Aires, as my two eldest daughters are pursuing their university studies there. We also took the opportunity to visit Charito, my older half-sister, whom I didn’t see much when I was younger, but with whom I developed a close sisterly bond after living in Argentina for over three years with my family. I would describe my sister as a strong, courageous woman, ahead of her time, a retired nurse, single, without children, who had lived in Argentina for 60 years. And, as fate would have it, I found her lifeless body in her apartment in Caballito on the morning of December 25th. This was thanks to her dear friend Marisa, who had known her for over 40 years, who alerted me. Therefore, along with the grief of this sad loss, I also took care of the arrangements for her burial. Undoubtedly, a very different Christmas.

On the other hand, in the following days, together with Jessica, my wife and life partner, we will be celebrating 33 years of this journey together, from that “yes” in the stage of being in love, later of courtship, and finally of marriage, and looking at all we have been through in these more than 12,000 days together.

In that sense, reflecting on what I’ve experienced and what’s to come, I’d like to share a personal, simple, and straightforward view of what I understand as happiness. It’s found in everyday life, which isn’t perfect, because being happy doesn’t mean living solely for our own well-being, but rather because of seeking the well-being of others. It’s about living to make others happy, starting with our family, friends, colleagues, collaborators, neighbors, and so on. Therefore, I’d like to share some lessons I’ve learned from my current experiences:

• Joy and pain, despite being opposites, always coexist.
• The correct question is: What for, and not why, do things happen to us?
• Everything that happens to us has a purpose.
• I understood through faith that Jesus, our Lord, is always with me.

Dear reader, at this very moment you might be thinking: this platform (LinkedIn) deals mostly with topics related to management; however, I remind you of what a university slogan says: Better people, better professionals.

I also think it’s important to emphasize that I’m not trying to be an example of anything, because if there’s one thing I’m sure of, it’s that I have many things to improve, and I’m constantly striving to do so. Therefore, to conclude, I’d like to share a quote from Saint Augustine of Hippo: “Lord, give me what you ask of me, and ask of me what you will.”

And as always, keep rowing hard against the current and out to sea!