Are you happy or ARE YOU HAPPY?

Remember those times when the best birthday gift was a collection of your funny pictures from your childhood by your mother and the best birthday meal would be a hand-cooked meal by your grandmother?

Simple pleasures of life give a gush of genuine love and happiness. Feeling happy on the success of a friend’s promotion or appreciating the work of a hardworking employee or spending time with grandmother and discussing her old stories are some of the many emotions which are mutual, giving a sense of true happiness.

How often do we practice this today? Do we realize how a layer of materialism has spread its wings to shadow the beautiful little pleasures of life?

Experiencing emotions such Jealousy, animosity, hatred and constant benchmarking of one’s life with the others is although a part of the basic human nature but now, such emotions have taken over our lives.

Do we even know are we happy or not? Maybe we have to visit our psychologist, who, after taking some tests, will tell us, whether what we are experiencing currently is a state of happiness or just a sham we are habitual of putting up to every day.

Why do doctors first ask whether there is something troubling you, even before he starts his diagnosis?

Our inner wellbeing is also dependent on our inner peace. Inner peace and solace can be achieved in many ways like family well being, respect from family and workplace, job satisfaction, marital happiness and even through yoga and meditation. The resulting inner peace is pure and long lasting. Honestly, we don’t need to do much to achieve that. Even living a simple life with your loved ones without any drama can help us be a happier person. Tones of wealth and luxury can also help but for how long? At the end of the day, we know what makes us happy. It could be the first car from our own salary or a jaguar from our dad’s money. Its subjective and debatable but we decide and evaluate the source of our own happiness.

The nature of temporary inner peace is not only short lived but also harmful and deceiving. It makes us believe that we are content but the more we enjoy this temporary happiness, the more we crave for in our state of dullness. We are in a state of trance where even a little outside help can help us forget or recover from our sadness or loss. But, it should not become a habit; otherwise we will have to go back to achieve the true state of tranquility.

Why do celebrities start going back to basics after a dull period in their career?

By “back to basics”, we mean living a simpler life and reconnecting with the truth. Some go back to their hometown and reach out for family support, some go to a recovery institutes and some to their holiday homes at luxurious destinations. Their main motive is not only a break from their stressful routines but also from the materialistic world and their expectations and judgments.

In the end, a simple lifestyle and some basic necessities is all that is required to keep a person sane and happy.

It’s easier said than done is what we would think.

But, think about it, what’s the worth of a 4-carat solitaire wedding ring if the marriage is falling apart ?.

Isn’t it more important to add sparkle to one’s married life rather than adding sparkle to that little finger?

Or what’s the worth of setting up a movie theatre in a posh bungalow if we don’t have any friends to watch movies with?

Material possessions come with wise choices and only then their worth could be enjoyed. We can show the world a bank account full of money, but what if the children for whom we have earned don’t even call to ask us if we are doing okay. It is important that more than enjoying the material luxuries, we learn to appreciate the basic luxuries which life has given us free of cost. Once we devalue the gifts of life, even tones of wealth and material possessions will not be able to help us achieve sense of contentment.

Resist that temptation to buy a bag or that piece of jewelry, to achieve that joy which can be achieved in other ways too. Not that we should completely become saints with no wants from life, but do value relationships, people and family so that true happiness is derived from them and not through the little shiny pieces as their luster would fade away before one even realizes.

According to a study, published by the CNN, Psychological research suggests that, in the long run, experiences make people happier than possessions. The short lived joy would fade away but try to learn from experiences which will help one grow further in life and make the right choices. Society is also a major driving factor in influencing our choices, but we have try to preserve the beauty of our soul, which makes us real, without depending on material possessions.