By AiR Atman in Ravi – Happiness Ambassador and Spiritual Leader
The reason we are happy and miserable soon after is that we confuse happiness with pleasure, achievement, success and wealth. Pleasure is ephemeral. It is transient; it comes and goes. Joy is followed by pain, sunshine by rain, and this cycle repeats again and again. True happiness, however, forever flows and is uninterrupted by misery and sorrow. Happiness is a state of being, not becoming.
As you may have noticed, I have spelled happiness as happpiness, with 3 Ps. It is to indicate that lasting happiness has 3 Ps, which are the 3 keys to happiness. Happiness is a combination of Pleasure (which comes from material joys), Peace (which comes from contentment and fulfillment and is the foundation of lasting happiness), and finally, Purpose, discovering the ultimate goal of life (which is Enlightenment). Therefore, we must enjoy pleasure, live with peace and purpose in order to be truly happy.
Here are five simple rituals or practices that we can follow to live with lasting happiness:
Practice Gratitude
Begin your day with gratitude. Each day is a new day — a new life. It’s a blessing! Think of 5 things that you are grateful for. Instead of counting your problems, count your blessings. This will create a positive shift in your life.
Smile
Smiling is a simple way to spread joy. Smile at yourself in the mirror as you get ready. Smile at family and friends. Smile at strangers. Smiles can brighten dreary days. A smile creates a feel-good feeling. We all have struggles in life and you’ll be surprised at how a smile can uplift spirits, change someone’s mood and add joy to their and our day.
Still The Mind
Practice meditation. Even 5 to 10 minutes is good to start with. Be in silence. A calm mind is the foundation of peace, and peace is the foundation of happiness. Become a witness, observer of your thoughts.
Spread Happiness
Make somebody happy. Acts of kindness and compassion for strangers, neighbours, the poor and the ailing bring a sense of contentment and fulfillment. Making others happy creates a ripple effect and fills our own hearts with joy. As said, what goes around comes around. Do some good each day.
Live With Purpose
Live a meaningful and purposeful life. Of course, we all have our individual purposes in life. It could be related to our profession, charity or some personal dream. But go beyond this. We all have a bigger purpose and it’s the same for all of us. Discover the ultimate purpose of life. Discover who you are and why you are here — the answers to these two questions are the key to everlasting happiness. When we realize that we are not the body, mind and ego, we are the Soul, a Spark Of Unique Life, a part of the Supreme Immortal Power we call God, we are liberated from all misery and suffering. So, spend time in introspection, reflection and contemplation.
The prerequisite to a life of lasting happiness is that we must want to be happy, and we must vow to be happy. Remember, happiness is a choice! Learn to live life moment by moment. Live in the present. Tell yourself every day: ‘I will choose to be happy today. The skies may be cloudy and grey…No matter what people say! I WILL be HAPPY today!’ And just be happy!