Just Being Happy

Happiness is something many are after. Everything that most people do is to lead them to happiness. So how to be happy?

First we have to definite what is happiness? By the definition in the dictionary, happiness means showing or feeling pleasure or contentment. Happiness is a feeling, an emotion. From that feeling of happiness, you will show it in your physical form; like a smile or huge laughter.

The most usual way of achieving happiness is to own material possessions. By the way we purchased material possession, it seems that the more material possessions we own, the happier we are. Is that true?

Your answer will probably be “NO”. Most likely, 99% of us will say “NO” too. But ask yourself, really ask yourself, why do you want to chase after newer products, better cars, bigger house?

When I got my first BMW, I felt great! It was an amazing feeling. It was the feeling of pleasure - happiness. One month later, that feeling subsided. No longer I felt excitement, pleasure and contentment when I drove that car.

But I want to have that feeling. I want to feel great! By the 2nd month, I was thinking which will be my next car. Does it mean that the current car is hopeless? No, it’s still functional, fulfilling it duty of moving me around. Why do I want to change it? It got nothing to do with the car or the car advertisements. Something in me changed.

I’m searching for the feeling of pleasure and contentment. Purchasing new things got me those feelings. But once the feeling subside, I have to buy new things have that feeling again. This doesn’t happen to me only, this happen to 99% of the population.

To make matter worse, all the advertisers are making you think that way. Having a Mercedes Benz makes you feel different from the rest, feels pleasure, feels satisfied. So we are brought up thinking by having more, we are happier.

Now, that’s a lie. A big fat lie that we believe. Some of you may say that you don’t buy into this lie. But look at your action. The wardrobe is full yet you are adding new clothes into it. The shoe shelf is packed, yet you continue your conquest of new shoes. We bought into this lie consciously or unconsciously.

This is never going to end unless you have the awareness. The awareness of creating the feeling of pleasure and contentment from within.

I was observing my nephew who is one year old smiling and laughing without any external help. He can be walking unstably, talking to himself and yelling in joy. He can be coming into my room, looking at me and smile.

A baby knows where to find happiness. You were baby once, so you know where to find happiness. It’s inside of you. All the feelings that you are looking for are inside of you. Over the years of education, all those feelings was buried.

Start by saying thank you for being alive. Your life itself is a happiness. There are many at the mortuary who are willing to exchange place with you.

You do not have to wait till you achieve your goals or purchase some dream house to be happy.
What if you can’t achieve it? Does it means you can never be happy? In actual fact, you can be happy, right now!

Look around you, look at all the things that you own. Aren’t they a blessing already? When you start looking at those blessings, you can feel the feeling of pleasure and contentment. Isn’t that happiness?

Happiness is always in you. It’s always inside, deep within. The moment you find happiness in you, that’s the moment you stop becoming a slave to material possessions.