Pursuit of Happiness

If you think that this post is on the movie “Pursuit of Happyness”, I commend you for guessing something which most of us would have done. Anyways, this article isn’t about that. I was reading an article on balancing life and money, and I realized how many of us over rate money in our life. Not to suggest that having more money is bad. An i-pad, i-phone, a new car, a trendy watch definitely brings a smile in your face (and jealous glances from others), still it is surprising to see the extent to which money is sought after. Likewise, Happiness is equally under rated in our lives, albeit all of us want happiness, but only few dare to take steps to be happy.  Many of us get so busy running after money, hoping to earn some extra cash, that we forget that we are letting ourselves into a money trap. The more you think of getting rich, the more you exhaust your mental and physical faculties, resulting in the decline of your health (the very thing required for leading a happy life)

“Happiness is like a butterfly which, when pursued, is always beyond our grasp, but, if you will sit down quietly, may alight upon you.” --- Nathaniel Hawthorne

So I have penned few thoughts on the ways to be more Happier in your life. I dont claim that these are the only ways to pursuit happiness. There a lot many things which one must do so to lead a Happy life, and these things are few of such ideas to be Happy...

1. Have a purpose: Having a purpose in life creates wonders. Great leaders have always emphasized that having a greater mission or calling gives you the energy to go about doing your daily activites. Hence, make ‘living rich’ your life purpose rather than 'getting rich'. The pursuit of money as a primary goal has negative mental health consequences. resulting in lower self-esteem,depression, and more trouble in the relationships."

2. Indulge in fun activity: I have used the word ‘fun’ to indicate things which one loves doing. May it be taking a walk, swimming, book reading or whatever be the activity, take sometime of your daily life for it. Studies have shown that doing things which one loves, not only is a great entertainment, it also rejuvenates the mind and the body. When was the last time, you did the activity which you loved doing. If the answer to it is anything before 1 month, its high time you do something about it.

3. Be ‘pragmatic’: It’s always better to be realistic rather than be ‘dramatic’ in our lives. The main source of sadness/disappointments in our lives is due to our unrealistic expectations. As a wise sage said that all we need is what we really need, remaining else is ‘just extra’.  If we think about it, we will realize that there are very few things which we really need, the others are extravagant. Hence, leading a realistic life is a sure way to lead a satisfied life.

4. Beware of the ‘Matching feeling’: Most often in life, we are concerned about the things our neighbor has, rather than what we have. This matching concept leads us to live others life. We let others decide what we buy, when we buy and why we buy. Happy people concentrate on their own successes and don't compare themselves -- their income, their family time -- with others. So, its time to unlock yourselves from the clutches of ‘matching’; un-match and live your life. 

5. Stop thinking and Start living: God has blessed us with a unique gift - brains, and we ended up being so grateful that we decided to use this gift for everything. And I mean for everything. Probably, our ancestors took an oath that we will continue to use our brains until the end. Don’t get me wrong, I don’t mean to say that we shouldn’t think. On the contrary, we should think before doing something. But the ‘thinking’ has to have a limit. If you could look into your own life, think of the times when you spent lots of time on thinking, planning, ……ing…ing…ing…! Yea, that’s true. Just recall the number of new ideas which you have got until now and how many times you were excited to go about doing it. Yes, you would achieved a lot many of them, only if you hadnt thought much about the other variables. Will i be able to do it, would my parents approve of it, will i be able to  get the necessary support etc etc... Many of our plans don’t fruition because of our habit of perennial thinking/planning. Life would be better lived if only we could stop worrying of the various consequences and take the first step to execute your plans…

6. A Googly:   I was just checking if you do follow, what you read. There is no 6th idea. So enough of reading and start living ;)

Wishing you a Happy living and a good journey towards the pursuit of Happyness…