How to be Happy

Sidi Ifni – “How to be happy” is the question we, human beings, have been asking ourselves since the beginning of time.

Yet, no one has yet come up with a convincing, finalized answer to the question. Happiness is a real mystery—the key to which no one has been able to fully figure out. At a time when we notice some of the poor leading a gleeful life and some of the rich leading the worst-ever life, we cannot help but stop to wonder about the misconceptions we have had in mind about the secret to happiness, a universally long sought-after feeling.

The bitter reality is that we are born–somewhat blind to the fact that contrary to popular belief–that happiness lies in the mind and that it is a peace of mind rather than a peace of the body. Once again, claiming that happiness lies in the mind does not imply that whoever sets out to look for it will find it somewhere in his or her mind. Actually, that is another misconception that we have about happiness which we need to unlearn.

Here, the wishes we often utter and hear in an attempt to calm ourselves down and drown our sorrows are as follows: ” If I would just get married, I would be so happy”, ” If I would just graduate with distinction, I would that instant be over the moon,” and” If I would just win a lottery and live in a villa, I would be very happy.” However, no sooner do we get all that we have aspired to, then promptly begin to make a fuss about new twists in our lives. And it is the same old story of disappointment and new quest for happiness.

Our serious problem is that we tend to forget so easily. We often forget that we once hoped to attain a goal in life thinking that it would eventually bring us happiness But towards the end, we usually learn that it did not serve our intentions as we had expected. Still, we carry on wishing and forgetting, forgetting and then wishing again irrespective of how many times we have been crestfallen.

Can we not see that we are still not happy? Whether we like it or not, we will always ask ourselves this question. The wisest of us whom we think are in the position to provide us with a recipe on how to bring about happiness ,think that the more wisdom they procure in life, the happier they will become. It appears that the wisest of us have also fallen prey to the mysteries happiness radiates.

Many poets and writers have long sought happiness through fame. Yet, the minute they become famous, they learn that they have given up a great deal of their personal life. This fact, in turn, brings them back to where they first started their journey towards happiness and instantly turns them into sad people all over again.

Many single women have long sought happiness in marriage. Yet, the moment they get married, they learn that they have got married to the wrong person and end up getting divorced and leading the worst-ever life, which they could never have imagined for themselves. People seeking happiness in money, in prestige, in a better job, in a good wife or husband, or in recognition have nearly the same stories to tell.

If we examine the concept of happiness more closely, we will find that we are constantly engaged in thinking because of it. We are thinking mostly about negative things. In the process, we often fall prey to sour grapes. We keep thinking about things which they do not exist or transpire in the first place. Also, we are also thinking about the future and contemplating some aspects it about which we have no idea. Hence, this exerts us and makes us lose a great deal of energy without feeling any happiness whatsoever.

We, therefore, do not live the live the moment and simultaneously do not “seize the day.” In reality, such sorts of thoughts radiate from nowhere but from us, and this same fact implies that we are the source of our own sadness, our dejection, our disappointment, our consternation, our mood swings. All this revolves around the first source–thoughts. So, are we not then responsible for the absence of existence of happiness in our lives?

Just knowing that we think can help us realize our internal thoughts and stop us from thinking so negatively. This procures a ‘portion’ of happiness that is in the mind.

We seek happiness relentlessly, but we do not unfortunately accept life as it is. In the process, we forget that we are swimming against the tides in the pursuit of happiness. According to many psychologists, accepting life as it is helps one feel happy. This principle doesn’t necessarily mean that we must not take any action no matter what happens to us. Instead, we should make the best of our life in the presence of a set of hard conditions that holds us back from reveling in happiness. Can you not see that some people here on earth are happier than others? Here lies the secret.