Out of all the worldly definitions of happiness, my favourite is – “Happiness is anything which brings smile on our faces”. Being happy is most inherent characteristic of a human-being. Getting happiness is one everlasting goal for mankind. Ever seen/heard someone wake up in the morning and pray “May I have an awful day today”? Everything that we do on earth revolves around the quest for happiness.
There are typically two types of happiness; one being temporary which lasts for a very short duration and other which creates a great impact in our lives and lasts for lifetime. Temporary happiness is usually associated with temporary ecstasy and fulfilment of material needs. Once our needs get fulfilled we grow more greedy and selfish. Our hunger for temporary happiness can never be satisfied. In contrast, long term happiness is long lasting as it creates a sense of self actualization and we lose interest in material needs as we attain self satisfaction.
The three forms of happiness as explained by Martin Seligman: Pleasant life, Good life and Meaningful life were thoroughly explained as below.
1) Pleasant Life- This talks about having as many pleasures as possible and having the skills to amplify the pleasures.
2) Good Life- This means knowing what your signature strengths are, and then recrafting your work, love, friendship, leisure and parenting to use those strengths to have more flow in life. A good life essentially means living your dreams and passions.
3) Meaningful Life- It is one which consists of using your signature strengths in the service of something that you believe is larger than you are. Understanding the purpose of one’s existence to serve mankind is the underlying thinking of a meaningful life.
Human nature is to be happy. But there are many things that come in the way of happiness. There are 3 principle reasons that Anil Sir discussed with us which he had learnt through his anecdotal evidence.
1) Unstated emotional expectations of those whom I care about.
2) Regrets about the past.
3) Guilt that I carry with me.
An interesting quote pertaining to overcoming these huddles goes like “If you want to find happiness that will last, set yourself free from the ghost of the pasts.”
The bottom line remains, if our whole life revolves around finding happiness, the most important question of life becomes:
"Are you working on the most important thing of your life which makes you or will make you happy? And if not, why Not?"
Think about it.
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