I've been thinking about this lately. The common meme is that people who say "I'll be happy when I do $thing" should try to be happy in the moment rather than l

I've been thinking about this lately. The common meme is that people who say "I'll be happy when I do $thing" should try to be happy in the moment rather than looking towards their next goal(s). I think we always need micro-goals to strive towards. A new job can improve your life, a new partner can improve your life, and even when you find new $thing, there are still goals to work toward there. Like being a better employee or a better partner. And as you've said, the effect of some changes is long-term at least until you feel a need for growth/expansion again. Everything else outside of moving forward in life is complacency.