Happiness

Who doesn’t want to be happy? – someone praising you/your work, a gift and what not?

Take an example: You are wearing a nice dress - looking good. Someone walks in and says “You’re looking great”. You feel happy - your day is made.

But just think for a moment, the source of happiness is an external source. You do not have control over it. If someone says good- you’re happy, if not – you’re unhappy. If the boss, a friend or your spouse says or writes good things about you – you’re happy. If not you’re not. The point is that your happiness and unhappiness is controlled by others.

As long as you derive happiness out of external sources (other people’s comments), your happiness is not perpetual and sustainable. Perhaps, ‘true happiness’ would come once the source is internal.

And for the source to be internal you have to be true to yourself. You have done good work say ‘Yes! I do good work’. Initially you will find it weird but as you nurture the dead light of inner happiness – true and perpetual happiness would emerge.

Being true to oneself isn’t an easy task as you have to constantly question yourself- Why do I like Allan and not Emmy? Why do I like Rock and not pop? Gradually, you will find that there are plenty of reasons behind what you do and think. Sustained questioning would bring you face to face with your true innerself.

Then you will be in a position to identify your true interests and activities which you need to do achieve perpetual happiness. So, question yourself, find your true self and be happy.

Over a period of time, you would find that there are a lot of things you do to “be there” in the society- because you want to move up the ladder of society.

But remember in another hundred years, nobody is going to remember that there was a person called “read your name here (rynh)” who became the councilor, Vice President, or whatever of a company on earth.

Think of yourself, you must have read a lot about a different people who were President of America or whatever- but after all how much do they effect your life. You move on as usual. They hardly matter to you in day to day life.

So, don’t sacrifice your little happinesses in life in order to “be there”. Do what you innerself says.

And for those of you, who think material things- a car, a laptop- can bring you happiness- You are right!

However, you would realize this happiness goes as you get used to the material. Sharing a joke with your friend, making love to someone, meeting an old friend, also give you equal happiness.

You slog hard to get that car, give away a lot of small happinesses on the way, which are equally important, while happiness just costs a cup of tea/coffee. So, remember to invest in happiness and not in materials.