People have been searching for an answer to this eternal question since times immemorial. Who does not want to be happy? Every day, we are being bombarded with a variety of messages from writers, politicians, priests, journalists, advertisers, film makers and others promising happiness. Do they really work?
During my younger days, I dreamt of leading a very happy life. In pursuit of my goal, I read many self-improvement books that provided tips on how to lead a happy life. Most of these books were written by Americans, with catchy titles to attract ambitious people like me. The first book I bought was titled, "How to Win Friends and Influence People?" This book, written by Dale Carnegie, is reportedly been purchased more than thirty million times. I was greatly inspired by this book and was almost sure it will lead me to the path of success in my career and life, and then on to eternal happiness. The book was good, but it did not work for me as expected. I was worried that happiness was elusive but did not give up hope. So, I bought a second book by the same author. It was on "How to Stop Worrying and Start Living?" This book promised to grab worry by the horns and wrestle it to the ground, thus paving the way to happiness. Alas, this book too did not help me much as I was married then and worried about finding a decent flat to start living with my young wife in the city of Bombay.
Being a firm believer in the power of optimism, I did not easily give up. I read more books, sought the advice of my seniors, saw inspiring movies, heard lectures on Bhagavad Gita- anything that held the potential to make me happy. The net result was confusion, a sense of fear and insecurity about the future. Many questions arose in my mind - like how Americans are wealthy and happy while India with all the holy religious leaders continued to struggle in poverty and unhappiness.
It took me long time to realize what went wrong. I was trying to mimick the life of some successful people banking upon false values like fashionable life, material possessions, social reputation, and so on. I thought Americans are very happy as portrayed in the TV commercials, particularly the ones promoting drugs. The truth is many of them are really worried and depressed. One has to merely see the TV news on the number of shootings and violence that take place everyday.
Interestingly, many poor Indians seem to be really happy for no reason to be happy. Just see the most beautiful smiles of poor children in India. Their parents struggle to make a living and yet are supremely happy. So, clearly money, materials and fame do not make one really happy. As my father used to say, "You can buy the most expensive bed in the world; it still does not guarantee you sound peaceful sleep."
So, how to live happily? You know that happiness is a state of mind. It does not come in 'fit all' forms. Every person is born different. So, happiness is also different to each one. To a child, even a cheap toy can bring happiness. One has to find happines by looking within. You cannot be happy by looking at others and comparing. Do some "Atma Vicharam" (Self-introspection) and discover your own inherent strengths and leverage them for activities that make you happy. Enjoy simple things in life like playing with a child and listening to music. Take a walk looking at birds, animals, plants and flowers.
In short, make a change and start living a life based on your honest feelings. You will slowly find peace within yourself. After all, you are the one responsible for your happiness, and you alone can discover it!
