The purpose of our lives is to be happy.
Dalai Lama
Whoever I asked recently as to what their goal in life was, had one peculiar response: HAPPINESS.
What’s your definition of ‘being happy’?
- Having Freedom?
- Having Money?
- Having Good Life?
And, what’s stopping us from being happy?
There are many reasons. But by far, following reasons were the highest.
- Lack of money
- Lack of healthy relationship
- Lack of satisfaction
- Lack of fulfillment
I remember, in my childhood, I had no particular aims or goals. I was a happy go lucky person. Take life as it comes. No particular wants. I sometimes think it would have been better if remained a child. But that is not how things work.
As we mature and grow, our perspectives change, our needs change, our wants change. But our search for happiness remains forever. If I meet a person who says that he or she is already happy, I will ask, what’s the secret of their happiness.
I remember my grandfather. A noble man. Never seemed to be stressed in life. I never was mature enough to ask him, what was the secret to his happy life.
I kept asking myself….Should attaining happiness be my goal? As I dug deep into my conscious, some truths were revealed.
No man can claim that he is 100% happy. What we could say is that we are on a journey towards happiness. Every action that we take on a day to day basis, is towards achieving ultimately towards happiness.
Having said that, what’s the one most important way to increase your happiness?
I was stuck with this question for sometime….but I may have the answer:
“Celebrate The Little Things In Life!”
You do so many things in your daily life. You do most of them without even realizing you are doing them. When I became aware of where I could add happiness to my life, I found there are 100s of ways that I could be happier.
We tend to forget the smaller ways which would help us be more happy and cheerful. Again, happiness is a journey, not a destination.
Following are some of the ways in which I have increased my happiness:
#Having Food With Family:
I used to have food while I watched YouTube videos. While doing this, I would not be aware of how the food tasted. There was no appreciation for food I ate.
When I realized this, I took the decision to either have food with family or if I am alone, I only have food with the greatest gratitude. We celebrate the food we eat.
#Constant High Fives:
Completed your homework? High Five.
Recorded a video? High Five.
Completed your food? High Five.
Solved a puzzle? High Five.
There are numerous other ways to keep this flow. As a family, we started to appreciate each other better through a simple High Five.
#Pay Full Attention to the Speaker
Meeting with friends have been less enthusiastic. Because, all we do while we meet is to get glued to our phones and spend lesser time at meaningful conversations. When I realised this, I changed my attitude. When I was with a friend recently, I made a conscious decision to put my phone away and give full attention to my friend. I only listened to what he had to say and not interrupt.
I guess he realized this and complimented me for the gesture. Your family, your friends need your attention. Although this looks like a small change, this has huge implications to the relationships.
#Be Grateful
We take many things in our life for granted. We do not appreciate things in our life. While on a guided meditation recently, I was asked to write what I was grateful for? I wrote about the high level stuff that I was grateful for. But the speaker mentioned to go deep and write about everything that I was grateful for. And here is what came out of me:
- I am grateful for
- the day
- my family
- my job
- my income
- the breakfast
- water that I drink
- electricity
- my devices
- my clothes
- my curiosity
- the tools
- and many more… (at least 40+)
When was the last time you were grateful for what you had, what you experienced, the feeling of water on your body while in the shower and so on. All these little things make a huge difference in your life.
Why not be thankful? Write in your journal about things you are grateful about, from the smallest things, to the larger ones. We seldom appreciate what we are gifted with. What you appreciate, appreciates!
Life gives us opportunities to be happy. It is how we seek to achieve this happiness that ultimately decides the quality of life that we will have. We are all on a journey towards happiness. Many of us try to find it in books, lifestyle, movies and so on.
The truth is, happiness lies in smaller things that you experience in life. Don’t chase happiness. Celebrate the happiness you derive from small, little experiences in your life. You are on your way to happiness.
Most of us search for happiness in the outside world while not realizing that happiness is right within you.
I will leave you with a thought from Mother Theresa:
Spread love everywhere you go. Let no one ever come without leaving happier.
Saint Mother theresa
References: Quotes from https://www.goodhousekeeping.com/
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