happiness

When things are well its easy to be happy. But after a while, it becomes status quo and you start wanting more. It's easy to forget how well things are and start looking forward. Of course, there is nothing wrong trying to improve what you have, that's a great driving force. But constantly looking forward can easily lead to unhappiness.

Looking back its also not always apparent how bad things were back then. It might be that everything has been relatively well forever. There has just been some gradual improvement over time, but nothing dramatic to compare against. 

To be happy now or later, that's the question. It's so easy to gain a little bit of happiness immediately with zero effort. But the price for that might be a lot more later.

On the other hand, happiness is living in the moment. Enjoying your life as it happens. No matter how much you have invested in the future none of it matters if you are unable to enjoy it. All you are left is the bitter feelings of what could have been.