Some people wait their whole lives for happiness to arrive, as if it were a guest stuck in traffic. But maybe happiness isn’t late — maybe we just keep rescheduling it.

Today’s reflection hit me hard: “Be Happy Where You Are.” It’s such a simple idea, but in practice, it’s the hardest rebellion. We live in a world built on “nexts” — next project, next milestone, next collab, next raise. Even in creative culture, we romanticize the grind as the price of freedom. But sometimes, the real act of creation isn’t building something new — it’s finding stillness inside what already exists.

I caught myself earlier, sipping tea before the ZAO fractal, thinking about how often I mistake momentum for meaning. It’s easy to fall into the trap of “I’ll be happy when…” — when the event goes viral, when the DAO grows, when the roadmap’s done. But Alfred D’Souza’s line from today’s reading wrecked me: “These obstacles were my life.” That’s the punchline. The delays, the pivots, the moments that test our patience — that is the experience. That’s the music we’re composing, even when we think we’re just tuning the instruments.

So before tonight’s fractal, I’m making a pact with myself — and with you. Be happy where you are. Not when it’s perfect. Not when it’s done. Right now. Because if we can’t find meaning in the middle of the build, we’ll never recognize it at the summit.

See you at 6 PM EST for the fractal. Let’s bring that energy into the circle — grounded, present, and grateful to be exactly here.

– BetterCallZaal on behalf of the ZAO Team