Saturday, August 22, 2009

Happiness is a journey


We sometimes hear people saying I will be happy when I get this or that; when some specific event happens etc. We also hear people saying I was happy when such a thing happened in the past etc. People speak of happiness as an event which has occurred in the past or will occur in the future and lasts for a specific period of time.

Any good feeling, if temporary, is not worth much. So, we should be striving to change the expectation of happiness in terms of time. It should last much longer if not for ever. Also, while striving to achieve future happiness, we tend to sacrifice our present and go through much pain. Unfortunately, even if we do attain happiness it tends to be short lived.

That brings us to the main subject – should happiness be the journey or the destination? I submit that happiness must be also be in the journey. Our life itself is a journey and if we were to make happiness as part of that, it will make our life worthwhile. While we are in the process of achieving our goals and targets, we should attune our minds to seek happiness along the way.

Imagine you are trekking and climbing a mountain. If you are so intent on the climb that you do not notice the scenery around you; the exotic flowers and the rare birds; the cool breeze as you reach higher altitude; the faces of the people who pass you along the way etc., you have missed much of the fun. Take a look around you and you will see joy aplenty and that is sure to give you the joy you are seeking.

In the context of happiness, think “I am” rather than “I was” or “I will”.

Anyone who thinks sunshine is happiness has never danced in the rain - Author Unknown

“Happiness is found in doing, not merely in possessing” - Napoleon Hill

“Remember, happiness doesn’t depend upon who you are or what you have. It depends solely upon what you think” – Dale Carnegie

7 comments:

Ravi.. said...

Hey Vish,

I am really glad that i got in touch with you. Each of your post is a "realization" for me.. I totally enjoy reading your posts. They have such a good food for thought and positive feelings embedded in them.

Would like to know more about you.

ravku.iitm@gmail.com

Feel free to contact me at this email id.

Regards,
Ravi

Subash said...

I agree, true happiness is part of the journey/experience/process, not the destination.
Considering everything is Spiritual, Sri Ramakrishna spoke about the spiritual journey...the joy of journey being much better than the joy of reaching the destination.

Rakesh Vanamali said...

True happiness is never really associated with anything, I so believe!

Vishwanath Seshadri said...

Comments from Shri K Parthsarathi

Happiness is a state of mind very much like sadness. Happiness is what we feel when we think we have benefited by our or other's action or word.It keeps changing and ever transient.

A good post to keep us thinking whether we should do things to work for happiness or enjoy it
as an incidental outcome in which case it is part of our inevitable journey to the end.

Thanks for the nice post, as always.

kind regards
KP

ramesh sadasivam said...

Happiness is our birth right!

Good post Vish!

You are right! Happiness is never a destination, it's a journey!

Manivannan Sadasivam said...

Happiness is not a destination, but a journey!

That's a wonderful thought vish! But I think, Happiness is the journey and the destination :-) What is union with God? Eternal happiness, no?!

Thanks for this wonderful post!

Cheers!

Anonymous said...

A journey would remain incomplete if we donot reach our destination.Similarly spreading happiness during the journey of life makes yesterday's dream of happiness and every destination of tomorrow a vision of hope.We all have the ability to create happiness and to make everyone around us happy.We must learn to be happy in every moment of life..
"Whoever is happy will make others happy too.."

Tyaagi