Your Happiness is Your Responsibility
There are two ways of looking at life. One is thinking: “I’ll be happy after achieving a certain objective.” The second is saying: “I’m happy come what may!” Which one do you want to live by? – Sri Sri Ravishankar
We all want to be happy. This is a common desire of every human being. But let me ask you this question: Are you happy?
Check on your mind and heart what they want to think or feel about your happiness? For most of us happiness is a future plan. It is something which either we had in the past or we will have in the future, but it doesn’t exist in the present moment.
Why so?
It’s because of our own expectations, desires or some illusionary thoughts that when something will happen, and we will start feeling happy every after that. We have been believing this way since a long time, isn’t it? But let me ask you two more question:
- Did we often get what we want?
- Did we ever ask for what we have received in our life so far?
Hopefully, your answer is “No”! Because that’s what happens with most of us. Ok I’m not saying that nobody has every received what he/she has asked for. Things may go differently in different people’s life. My point here, however, is that we have made our happiness conditional. Our happiness is almost always depend on others or external circumstances. And believe it or not, this is a sure shot recipe of misery and unhappiness, and that’s what we end up being: An unhappy face :(
No person, things or situation can give us everlasting peace and happiness. That’s hard fact.
Stop conditioning your happiness. Stop being dependent on others or external factors for your happiness. Happiness comes from within and so the source of happiness has to be internal.
Happiness is a Self-responsibility
Yes, happiness is not a mere feeling, it’s an act of self-responsibility. You take care of this responsibility, and that will make others around you too happy and smiling. In return, your happiness will only double.
Being happy is a matter of habit. Once we inculcate this habit, we will be able to feel happy from within regardless of our external circumstances and happenings.
How to Cultivate the Happiness Habit?
Every habit requires conscious effort for sometime, ideally, 30 days before it gets set on autopilot mode. You certainly don’t need to win lottery or drastic change in your situation to feel happy (although, if that happens, I’m more than happy for you:)
Here are 7 things that you can do right now to feel happy about your life
1. Change Your Inner Perspective and Attitude towards Everything.
Always be positive and think positive about everyone and everything around you. Being negative won’t solve any problem for you, but certainly will add more stress in life. Accept people, things, and situations as they are.
2. Cultivate a Virtue of Gratitude
Gratitude is an antidote of unhappiness. Be thankful for the breath, body, mind, soul, and the current work you are doing. Believe that these can be the best things that you can have today. And if you want better things, be thankful about being able to work for them. And start working to make your desire a reality.
3. Engage in Positive and Cheerful Dialogues at Work and at Home
When I was small, my mother used to say, a definition of home is: a place where there is a good and cheerful dialogue take place. Later on I realize there are many homes where family members have stressful and not so good dialogues. And that’s why families break and relationships fall apart.
Always make this commitment to have positive and cheerful dialogues, that will make any place a home for you, wherever you go.
4. Live in the Present Moment
In present moment there is no negative emotions. A worry free mind and anxiety free heart is the factory of happiness. Live in the moment, breathe, smile.
5. Work towards Your Important Goals with Action-Approach
If there is something that you want in your life, let it be more money, health, relationship or whatsoever, then work for it with action-approach. Don’t be a victim of all thoughts – no action game. Keep full focus in your actions and make small progress everyday towards your goal.
6. Be a Giver
When a tree grows bigger and gets laden with sweet fruits, it bends down further. Nature is the greatest teacher and teaches us life lessons so effectively.
Whatever we have, we should share it with others around us. The joy of giving is more than the joy of receiving. Also you get more of what you give. If you’re radiate more negativity, only more negativity will come in your life. If you emanate positivity, more positive things will come to your life. To be the worthy recipient, learn first to give. If you haven’t read the amazing book Go Giver, then give it a try.
7. Live, Love, Laugh
At the end of the day only three things matter: Did you live? Did you love? and Did you laugh? If the answer is “YES” you’re done for the day.
Here there’s one for now…
A three-year old walks over to a pregnant lady while waiting with his mother in a doctor’s surgery.
“Why is your stomach so big?” – he asks.
“I´m having a baby.” – she replies.
“Is the baby in your stomach?” – he asks, with his big eyes.
“Yes, it is.” – she says.
“Is it a good baby?” – he asks, with a puzzled look.
“Oh, yes. A really good baby.” – the lady replies.
Shocked and surprised, he asks: “Then why did you eat him?”
Your happiness is your responsibility, don’t expect your parents, friends, teachers, spouse, children or boss to make you feel happy. Be happy and feel happy now.
Have Fun
Bharat Jhala
(Image Credit: Austin Schmid)
