HOW TO BE HAPPY ALWAYS.

I am repeatedly bringing up this issue, since we are eternally in search of happiness. The general perception is - we will be happy only when we do/achieve something. This leads us to be in search of happiness forever, instead of being happy in whatever we do.

This thought occurred to me when I read the newspaper reports about Virendra Sehwag and Rahul Dravid on their historical performance in the recently concluded Chennai test match.

“It hurt a lot when I was out of the team and the motivation helped me to concentrate for long in the searing heat. I had to prove that I belong at this level” – said Sehwag on scoring triple century. ( Deccan Herald 29th march 2008 )

Dismissing suggestions that he had anything to prove to anyone, Rahul Dravid, after bringing up his 25th test ton, said “I have always played to prove to myself more than anyone else. I have tried to be there when we win Test matches and make a contribution.” ( Deccan Herald 30th march 2008)

What a contrast in approach. Yet it brought the best out of those batsmen.
One wants to prove to the world that he has to be counted among the great sports personalities. Other just wants prove to himself, better his own performance.

So, when we look for happiness recipe in the world outside, the vast options that are inherently contrasting will bowl us out.
Happiness can be experienced in every activity we carry out instead of postponing it till we achieve something bigger in life.

If a person decides to get up early and start exercising to be in good health, the point of happiness generally lies at the time the person thinks he is in perfect health. But this does not happen, for the simple reason that different persons perceive the definition of perfect health differently.

A neighbour of Mulla Nasruddin was amazed at the fact that Nasruddin use to boast of his good health and happiness, even though he was catching cold and cough and down with fever on many occasions. So, one day he decided to confront Mulla Nasruddin and got the following reply from him;

“I was very unhappy in the beginning due to these cold, cough and allergies. So one day I decided to become healthy by getting up early and doing some exercises. Next day onwards I stopped worrying about when I am going to be healthy. Instead I started getting up early and doing exercises. I am happy on the days I get up early and do exercises. On the days when I am not able to get up early, I will be happy about getting beautiful sleep. Also I did not worried about skipping exercises on those days. On getting up late, I simply looked at other jobs on hand for the day and tried to schedule according to my convenience. This way I will be happy always. And whenever I am down with those cold, cough and fever, I use them to motivate myself to become better”.

Normally our goals are to become like very successful persons who are one in million or billion. And that may take million or billion moments if not days.

So, we can be happy always, all the million moments required to reach the goal using Mulla Nasruddin’s technique!
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