We pursue happiness, chase happiness, and force happiness. We worry about our happiness and we put happiness on a pedestal. We make happiness dependent on events that may occur in the future, and we hold ourselves hostage from happiness until we reach a goal.

We know we want happiness, but the path to it is elusive, and the preservation of it is a promise that often can’t be fulfilled. There are unhappy side effects of the happiness we’ve come to know, expect and accept. Pursuing happiness ironically keeps us from being truly happy.

What we really seek is that feeling of unshakable fulfillment, joy, being present, and being connected to our truest selves. The quickest way to get here is not by ambling and obsessing about the limited pursuit of happiness, but by the immediate and actionable pursuit to be inspired.

The difference between living and feeling alive is inspiration, not happiness. When we try to catch happiness, our attention is drawn outward toward the chase, not focused inward where true happiness originates.

Inspiration is our tool to connect to our true selves to unlock the alternate “true happiness” that can only start from within. By focusing on and indulging in inspiration, we find ourselves experiencing true happiness without the obscure effort.

Here are five reasons to forget happiness and get inspired instead:

1. The path to happiness is elusive, but the path to inspiration is immediate.

Getting happy isn’t instantaneous. Sometimes it’s a lot of work. Sometimes it’s a lot of waiting or infinite waiting. Sometimes we don’t know where the path begins, how long it is or what’s required.

Inspiration is how we completely lose and definitively find ourselves in the present. Meanwhile, happiness has us lost in “I’ll be happy when’s,” plaguing us when we don’t have what we want or need to be happy now.

In this world of immediate satisfaction, what’s the point of waiting around for fleeting happiness that can rush out as quickly as it rushes in?

Inspiration is actionable and attainable with immediate benefits. If you’re having a tough day, indulge in an inspired moment. You don’t have to lose 10 pounds, tell off your boss or have more money. You just have to watch a sunset, savor a sip of your favorite coffee, get out in nature, rebuild that ’67 Mustang, cook an amazing meal, start learning Italian, or get crafty with an art project.

2. Happiness is only a break from reality while inspiration is experiencing reality at its best.

Happiness is a break from our lives. Our happy moments fade once we’ve finished that bowl of ice cream or return from vacation. Our lives are exactly how we left them.

Taking a break is not recharging. Our souls are not quenched by distractions or an escape from life’s trials. We want to enjoy connecting and fully experiencing the moments that make us feel alive. We have to recharge and refuel to experience true happiness.

Sometimes giving our brain and body a break is important, but breaks are not refueling or recharging.

What if we take more breaks? Do they compound to recharge us eventually? No. Breaks spent participating in energy-avoidance activities do not compound to become recharging because they are just a pause. Breaks don’t replace or create positive energy.

Since inspiration elicits positive energy through an experience or activity, inspiration is a powerful recharger. Participating in inspiring activities infuses positive energy, cleansing out any stagnation in its path and replacing dormant negative energy.

Since being inspired can only happen when we are being completely present, we are experiencing reality at it’s best instead of trying to find breaks of temporary happiness to escape reality.

3. We worry about happiness, but not about inspiration.

We worry something is “wrong” with us when we aren’t happy, but we don’t take Prozac when we aren’t feeling inspired.

We don’t feel loss or worry because we know we can easily get into an inspired moment anytime. There isn’t any risk when we get inspired, only reward. Inspiration is inherently about the experience, not the destination. We mourn the loss of happiness, but instead celebrate the end of an inspired experience, like a great soccer game, beautiful hike or a delicious meal.

4. Happiness is fragile, while inspiration is immune to adversity.

Happiness is too easily shaken when someone criticizes us. If we share happy news and someone responds critically or with judgment, we can’t help but to feel discouraged, and our happiness can take a hit.

When we are inspired, we pursue what inspires us simply because we can’t imagine another path.

Consider someone who inspires you, who may have faced adversity, rejection or criticism and never gave up. It wasn’t because they necessarily possessed more strength, had “thicker skin,” wanted it more, or had the ability or opportunity to try harder than anyone else.

They didn’t participate in their cause or actions for anyone else, but instead to be true to themselves. It was because their inspiration is authentic and an unstoppable force stemming from their strongest foundation—their true selves. All the setbacks in the world can’t hinder one’s desire to do what inspires them.

5. Inspiration saves Lives; Happiness Doesn’t.

No one ever says, “happiness saved my life.”

Happiness feels like a privilege to struggling kids, but inspiration feels like home.

Inspiration prevents kids who are on the edge from falling off. And inspiration is accessible to anyone. It costs very little, or nothing, for parents, mentors and friends to share inspiration around music, cooking or sports, to name a few.

The same can be said when we struggle as adults.

Unhappiness is a symptom of problems any of us may face. Inspiration saves kids and adults alike, offering us something productive to pour our time into, allowing for opportunities to build self-esteem, achieve goals, and create an empowered desire to change our circumstances and realize our dreams. Happiness simply doesn’t do that.

Inspiration is the most radiant and flourishing expression of our authenticity. We can never indulge in inspiration enough!

What inspires you? Make your inspiration list, forget the elusive path to happiness, and start focusing on being inspired. You’ll start collecting inspiring moments and discover yourself living the inspired life, unlocking the true happiness we all desire and deserve.

Some content is excerpted from Happiness is Overrated – Live the Inspired Life Instead, available on Amazon.com. Follow Elaina Marie’s on Instagram and Facebook @elainainspired for more updates. Copyright Elaina Marie 2016.