The Pursuit of Happiness
True happiness comes from the good that you do, not what you have
“We hold these truths to be self-evident, that all men are created equal, that they are endowed by their Creator with certain unalienable Rights, that among these are Life, Liberty and the pursuit of Happiness."
– US Declaration of Independence
Americans, and for that matter most people in the modern Western world it seems, are fixated on being happy all the time. They are constantly chasing relationships, food, drugs, sex, consumer goods, and anything else that will give them that brief dopamine jolt that they equate with happiness. But like the empty calories of sugar, this is a false happiness, based on a possession or achievement, that quickly fades as the novelty wears off. And then they are off chasing their next dopamine hit as they attempt to acquire the next thing they feel they cannot live without.
In the view of the Stoics, real happiness comes from your efforts to live a virtuous life, not from what you achieve or possess. Happiness in this regard is not an objective in itself, but rather a side effect of living that virtuous life. When you adopt this mindset, you are always in control of your happiness, because it is always within your control to make good (aligned with virtue) vs bad (aligned with vice) decisions in your life.
If your life can be considered as a journey that you have some ability to direct the path of, happiness can then be considered the pleasant scenery along portions of the way, but it is neither the purpose of the journey nor the destination.
Stop chasing happiness and instead focus on becoming a better person, and you will find that happiness will come to you naturally, without you having to chase it at all.