Great thinkers, philosophers, and writers, such as William Butler Yeats, defined happiness as neither virtue nor pleasure but rather the goal of continually developing as a person. Buddha defined true happiness as a state of mind that exists at the juncture between pleasure and meaning.

We have all been there before in our lives. We start a new journey; whether it be a new job, a romantic relationship, a birth, a death—a moment that can define success or defeat. New beginnings can also encompass past sad endings, like a bittersweet poem. We pack for our journey, not in a physical “check my baggage” type of journey, but a sensitive passage that surrounds our emotions like smoke from a burning fire.

Author and professional speaker Terry Hershey writes in his book, The Power of Pause, that our lives can become too full. So full, in fact, we forget to remember that empty space is not a bad thing. In fact, empty space is essential to living a peace-filled life.