Is happiness found or cultivated??
Much has been written and talked about happiness of late. We chase so much in our lives just so; we will one day find happiness. The ever so evasive happiness; that most of us keep running after somehow always manages to slip out of our grasp. We make all these notions in our head of what we and our lives need to be in order to be happy. A well paying job, a big house, loads of money to our name, being popular are some of the most common benchmarks we set for ourselves in order to be happy. But come to think of it, happiness is and can always be found in the simplest of things, only if we allow ourselves to be happy by them.
While we all have our big goals and ambitions set that we think will eventually make us happy; let us not lose out on those little snippets of happiness we can find in our daily lives as well. We only need to realize the little things that bring us joy and peace in our everyday life, things that we do simply because we like doing them.
One of the first steps towards cultivating our own happiness is finding out what it is that we enjoy effortlessly. Things and activities we enjoyed or loved as kids; things that make us forget our worries for the moment and rejuvenate us. Let’s spare ourselves the pain of expectation or even productivity and simply choose activities purely on the basis of how much we enjoy it.
Even if we are chasing our dreams or goals, we can always decide to do so and be happy while doing it. There is no hard and fast rule that one can only be happy when one achieves a goal. Just like a difficult journey is not always mandatory to reach a beautiful destination, we need not put self imposed restrictions on our own happiness. We can very well allow ourselves to be happy and find joy in the ‘now’ as opposed to waiting for a perfect ‘THEN’ that we imagine for ourselves. Let’s not waste our limited time on this planet by trying to find what isn’t lost in the first place. We are the very key to our happiness, if only we can recognize the simplicity of it.
I am listing down some of my personal ‘favorite things to do’. You can try some of these or simply find the ones that work for you.
· Reading a good book while listening to old Hindi songs or jazz music (any music you prefer) with a hot cup of coffee.
· Watching a good web series on Netflix with a bowl of popcorn.
· Catching up with some old friends from school and college; or simply having a wholesome meal with your family with nothing but good food, good conversations and loads of good intentions.
· Going out for a walk alone with your headphones on and listening to music while you observe the natural beauty around you.
· Practice gratitude. Note down all the things in your life you are thankful for, even if it’s as little as enjoying a sunset or being blessed with eyes that help you do so.
· Take up any hobby you use to love as a child, before you were brain-washed by society into believing that it wasn’t important enough. Before you stopped making any time for it. It could be painting, baking, taking up a sport, dancing or any other thing you did because it made you happy.
Happiness is not ‘a one size fits all’ nor was it ever meant to be; it doesn’t come with a manual or a how to guide. But instead can be customized as per one’s own wishes and likes. And isn’t it both beautiful and tragic that we always had the power to make ourselves happy only never to realize that it’s within ourselves. We are the very treasure that we so often seek outside in the world. We may be able to find it once we stop running around in circles trying to chase it and decide to enjoy what we have while working towards what we want.
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