As today is April Fool’s Day here in the UK:

One of my favourite April Fool’s stories comes from London in the 1860s.

A group of pranksters sent out a bunch of invitations to London socialites, professionally embossed and decorated with all the official trimmings.

The invitations read as follows:

Tower of London – Admit Bearer and Friend to view annual ceremony of Washing the White Lions on Sunday, April 1, 1860. Admittance only at The White Gate. It is particularly requested that no gratuities be given to wardens or attendants.

Of course, the White Gate didn’t exist.

And right on cue, there were a stream of cabs tootling round the Tower of London all morning looking for an imaginary White Gate which they never found.

A fun little story.

And it’s very apt

It seems to me that lots of people spend their lives searching in the wrong places for the things they want.

I talk of things like happiness, peace and fulfilment.

You can use whatever word you like.

But whatever you call it, thinking that you’ll find happiness, peace or fulfilment in the outside world is no different to thinking you’ll find the White Gate by looking for it at the Tower of London.

In many ways, it’s the oldest trick in the book.

It’s a sneaky ploy that society plays on itself which results in people innocently yet optimistically going on the hunt for a new house, a pay-rise, a leather jacket, the latest smart phone or a once-in-a-lifetime experience under the assumption that this is where happiness, peace or fulfilment are found. And when that inevitably doesn’t work, it’s more of the same for years, decades or even lifetimes. 

Of course, I’m not suggesting we all move to caves in the woods and spend the rest of our lives making wicker baskets and singing kumbaya around the campfire.

But what I am suggesting is that a promotion or a nice holiday isn’t where you’ll find lasting happiness, peace or fulfilment.

Admittedly I’ve changed my view on this over the last few years.

I used to think that promotions, nice clothes and new “stuff” was the path to a happier, more fulfilling life.

But half an hour after a pay-rise or buying a new gizmo, my happiness always seemed to return to the level it was before.

And whilst happiness, peace and fulfilment can certainly be found, I no longer think these are places to find them.

The way it looks to me nowadays?

Happiness isn’t found in what you’re looking at. It’s found in where you’re looking from. And unlike the White Gate, this place is real, standing wide open with no ticket required and waiting for you to step through.

If someone had told me this a few years ago, I would’ve rolled my eyes. 

But even back then, part of me still knew that accumulating more stuff simply couldn’t be the answer to a happy, fulfilling life.

If you have even the smallest of sneakiest suspicions that this might not be the answer for you too, you might like this:

https://waitinglist.followingfulfilment.com

To fulfilment, 

Tom