It was Ralph Waldo Emerson who coined the phrase “Life is a journey, not a destination”. Today we know that when it comes to goals we feel pleasure when we take a step in the right direction, that is, when we have the perception of progress. We also know that there are indeed pleasurable effects when we reach the goal, but that it is a short-lived feeling of being happy. That is, when it comes to achieving goals, something that is important in life, it is the journey that counts, not the destination. Building a path with several positive steps of progress will give us more positive feelings than reaching the goal, which will give us a very temporary feeling.

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​ So, from this point of view, if we live to be happy when we reach life's goals, then we will have authentic happiness, but in a few moments, and with short durations. The important thing, according to this "progress principle", is that the path we traveled to reach the goal also fills us with satisfaction, that we can flow and savor the journey in most of its moments to have a longer positive experience.