The Final Coaching Session: You Can Be Happy No Matter What

“Your happiness is not a destination. It is the very ground beneath your feet, available to you right now.”

Atip Muangsuwan
CEO Coach and Coach Supervisor

The most profound coaching sessions often happen at the end.

I recently had the privilege of conducting a final coaching session with a long-term coachee. It was our last conversation in a formal capacity. With that in mind, I offered her a unique and powerful challenge:

“Imagine this is it. There will be no more one-on-one coaching sessions for you after today. No more me, no other coaches in the world. This is your final opportunity to be coached on anything. So, what topic shall we discuss? What is the single most important thing for you to explore?”

Without hesitation, she answered: “I want to learn how to be happy in life.”

Her motivation was rooted in a profound and painful truth. She had lost two brothers at a tragically young age. This devastating experience was a stark reminder of life’s fragility. It highlighted the exhausting reality of the “rat race”—the endless chasing of money, goals, and recognition under a blanket of stress, often at the expense of what truly matters.

Her initial definition of happiness was one I hear often. She believed she would be happy when…

• …she could spend more quality time with her family.
• …she could travel and sightsee more.
• …she received more recognition for her work.
• …she purchased property, like a house or land.

This is Conditional Happiness. The “I’ll be happy when…” model. And it begs a critical question: What distinguishes happy people from unhappy people?

My simple observation is this: Happy people have far fewer conditions for their happiness.

Unhappy people often set a long list of prerequisites: a luxury car, a designer bag, a certain bank balance, a lavish house by the ocean. They believe these things are the source of good feelings.

But here’s the secret: they are not the source. They are merely a means to an end. And that end is simply a feeling—a sensation of joy, peace, or contentment that we assume is locked inside the object or achievement.

What if you could access that feeling without the arduous, 15-year detour to get the “means”?

This reminds me of the story of the businessman and the fisherman.

A businessman stood on the pier of a small village, watching a fisherman dock his small boat, filled with fresh, magnificent fish.

“That’s a terrific catch,” the businessman said. “How long did it take you?”
“Only a few hours,” the fisherman replied.
“Why not stay out longer and catch more?” the businessman asked.
The fisherman shook his head. “This is enough to feed my family. For the rest of the day, I will be with my children, take a siesta with my wife, and stroll into the village to play guitar and share laughs with my friends.”

The businessman, aghast, launched into his advice. “I have a business degree! I can help you. Catch more fish, buy a bigger boat, then a fleet. Build a cannery, move to the city, and take your company public. In 15 years, you could be worth millions!”

“And then what?” the fisherman asked.

“Why, then you could retire!” the businessman beamed. “You could move to a small coastal village, spend carefree time with your family, nap in the afternoon, and enjoy long evenings with your friends.”

The fisherman smiled gently and said, “And what do you think I’m doing right now?”

The businessman’s entire elaborate plan was just a 15-year-long, stressful detour to get back to the very feeling the fisherman had already mastered. He had confused the means (millions of dollars) with the end (a contented life).

This story perfectly mirrors the insight from my coachee’s final coaching session. My coachee’s goals—the family time, the travel, the new home—are all wonderful. But they are not the happiness itself; they are just different boats hoping to ferry her to the same destination: the feeling of contentment.

The transformative moment in our session wasn’t about crafting a plan to achieve all her conditions. It was a fundamental shift in perspective, much like the fisherman’s.

Happiness is not a reaction to perfect circumstances; it is a conscious choice and a practiced skill. It’s a mindset you can access in the present moment, regardless of your contexts and conditions.

This is why Buddhist monks can radiate joy while owning nothing. They have removed the conditions. They understand that while breathing in and out, we are already alive, already present, and already capable of choosing peace.

This doesn’t mean ignoring pain or abandoning goals. It means not putting your life on hold waiting for joy to arrive. You can invite it in today.

How to Practice Choosing Happiness

This shift starts with mindfulness. When you find yourself saying “I’ll be happy when…”, pause.

1. Acknowledge the Condition: Notice the thought without judgment. “Ah, I am attaching my happiness to a future event.”
2. Anchor in the Now: Take a breath. Right here, right now, can you find one small thing to appreciate? The air in your lungs? The device you’re reading this on?
3. Access the Feeling: Ask yourself: What feeling am I hoping that future goal will give me? Pride? Security? Freedom? Can I connect with a sliver of that feeling now by appreciating something I already have?

The goals don’t disappear. The desire for a full life doesn’t vanish. But they transform from prerequisites for happiness into expressions of it. You work to provide for your family from a place of love, not to earn the right to love them. You plan a trip from a place of excitement, not to become excited.

My coachee’s powerful story of loss taught her that life is short. But her final coaching topic revealed the antidote: while life may be short, it doesn’t have to be spent waiting on the shore for a better boat.

You don’t find happiness. You choose it. You take the direct path, not the 15-year detour. Moment by moment, breath by breath, no matter what.

Your happiness is not a destination. It is the very ground beneath your feet, available to you right now.

If you want to discuss about something deep and profound just like this coaching topic of my coachee, then, let’s connect!

About Atip Muangsuwan: Atip Muangsuwan is the Founder & CEO of The Best Coach International Co., Ltd. He is a CEO & UHNWI Coach, Certified Mentor & Supervisor for global executive coaches, Holistic Life Transformation Expert, Business & Life Strategist, and Corporate Facilitator/Trainer. With a proven track record of helping clients achieve their career goals and job promotions, Atip is dedicated to supporting individuals in their personal and professional growth.