In order to have a lifelong happiness, we first need to be aware that happiness is not the goal, it is the means to the goal. Like any other habit, the habit of happiness can also be cultivated and nurtured. All of us, literally every single one of us, are the product of our habits and rituals: both positive and unpleasant.
Have you ever realized that 95% of the actions that most of the human beings perform from waking up till going to bed at night are unconscious? We become what we repeatedly do, think, eat and believe.
So here comes the best news about habits: they were created by us. Like any other habit that does or does not support us, we can break free from the habit of misery and self-pity and enter into the world of happiness. We all may choose to rise above the gravitational forces of the masses and stay happy, even when the whole world feels otherwise.
Remember, the world exists because you exist. Similarly, the world will be happier when you will be happier. This does not in any way mean that we have to be rude and unkind. We can always cultivate ways of being decent and kind to even those who trouble us. It is all a choice that humankind and kind humans choose to make.
Before we step over to the rituals that cultivate happiness sustainably, let us focus on the following truths about happiness: (These are no universal truths that become the Bible of happiness, however, these are the states of mind of all those successful and happy people who make staggeringly continuous progress in all areas of their lives)
Truth # 1: Happiness comes to those who respect it. People talking about their gloomy moments, day in and day out rarely face the sight of happiness and fulfillment.
Truth # 2: Happiness comes from loving and respecting yourself and everyone else, no matter what. Yes, you might be facing a challenge in your life. It is alright as long as you are taking consistent positive actions to make things better. Love yourself. “The journey is the reward”, noted one of my heroes, Steve Jobs. Happiness also comes from accepting people as they are. Even though you are irked with others because you want to improve them, remember that people can only rise above when their present (perceived) bottom is grounded and accepted.
Truth # 3: And the most important of all: Happiness is your most natural state of being. This is the reason we all feel uneasy when we are frustrated, because we all naturally gravitate towards what is real. Real is the natural, natural is the happiness J
These truths will let you focus on what happiness is all about, which is definitely over and above the material and financial riches of life; and having a complete sense of well-being.
I know you want to increase your levels of happiness, this is why you are here with me exploring the ways to do it. The rituals that you can adopt right now to be more happy and fulfilled are simple:
- Be the person who helps most people. The secret to living is giving, and it starts with yourself and the rest of the world. The richest of the people are the biggest of philanthropists. Money does not make you richer. It makes you more of who you are. If you are a hoarder, it will start choking you even more. If you are a giver, it will make you a better giver. What you give, is what you receive.
- Live your life on your values. A life lived happily is the life lived to please no one. Yes, have great fun with your loved ones. Create super-productivity in your team. On what feels right to you. (…..Unfolding of magic begins!!!)
- Do what you love. Yes, I told this in an earlier blog post, because your “work is God made real”, as Kahlil Gibran said in The Prophet. When you do what you love, your work loves you back. This loving and loving back creates a perennial flow of happiness that could not be understood by the intelligent world. Only the “crazy ones” can feel that happiness.
- Have a constant self-development program for yourself. Raise your standards. This gets you in flow state. This is where you get your most advanced ideas, and by products are greater fulfillment, drive to achieve more, and more contentment in your life. (This is What YJU Are Looking For, right?)
With these action points, I promise you will encounter higher levels of happiness and fulfillment. I dare you…right now, in the comments below, write your 3 action steps to be followed this week, to experience happiness as easily as you breathe. All the very best!!
