Happiness is knowing yourself.
Whoever you are and whatever your personality, there is a contentment that comes from being true to yourself. You are who you are, so you might as well enjoy it.
Betty Halbreich, director of Solutions at Bergdorf Goodman, writes in her memoir I’ll Drink to That: A Life in Style, with a Twist,
I was a child for the longest time, but I have finally grown into a proper person. Learning how to be alone, truly alone, was the last step.
The terrible fear of loneliness kept me from knowing myself, but now I am happy, because I do know myself. I know I have an unpredictable stomach. I like vodka. I’m overly neat. I know I dress well and with ease. I can finally talk to me, although, like my clients, sometimes I listen and sometimes I don’t.
I love this quote (and was unexpectedly taken with Halbreich’s memoir–she’s a character). Happiness is knowing yourself, and walking the line between challenges for self-improvement and indulging in what you love.