Our happiness or un-happiness is a condition of our minds. Whether we cultivate wholesome or un-wholesome mind states, it is all occurring in our minds. Mindfulness gives us a guard that stands at the gate of our mind ever-watchful.
We must practice where we are in our spiritual development. Not where we wish we were. We must cultivate the skills that can take us from where we are now to where we want to be. This is done by the care-taking of our body, speech and mind.