What is Happiness – and Other Inanities

I know, I know. There are hundreds, if not thousands, of articles out there describing happiness and what it means, how to discover what makes us happy etc. etc.

I’m not here to talk about any of that.

Let’s play a game instead.

Ready? And I want you to really play it, not just read it.

Let’s begin.

Think of someone you admire or love. This person could be a fictional character from a favourite book or TV show; they could be a celebrity, an entrepreneur perhaps. They must be someone though who is not accessible to you in daily life. You don’t have any chance of meeting them or speaking with them but you really wish that you could.

Have you thought of someone? Okay, good!

Now, take a few minutes and make two lists – five questions you want to ask this person and five things you want to tell them.

And as you jot each down, imagine yourself asking or telling them these things; imagine also their reaction. How would they respond to your questions? What would they say to your sharing?

I want you to complete this exercise and then read the next part. Ready? Go!

Are you done? Wonderful!

Chances are, you have a smile on your face right now.

Happiness is that simple.

It’s not a grand affair, a complex theory to be broken down. Happiness is what you make of it. It can be created which is what you did just now.

The power of imagination to create our reality is underrated.

We spend days, years, pondering about happiness. We yearn for it, despair over it and wonder if it is meant for us at all. However, happiness is like perching our spectacles on our heads, then forgetting about them and hunting all around the house. It was right with us all along.

Happiness in life is really not something that needs to be worked for or earned. Just ask your favourite person – they’ll tell you the same :) It is but the finding of joy in the life we are already living.

And this isn’t the only inanity we find ourselves worked up about. There are other similar questions – what is life? What is my purpose? Am I with the right person? Am I on the right track?

Let me be clear. These questions aren’t inanities. Questioning our place and purpose in life is a sign of awakening – it shows our willingness to ask the hard questions and helps us build the courage to do the right thing.

What I mean is the way we approach these questions – we fear them. We dread the answers they might bring up and so, we resist them, shun them and try desperately to pack them away into a little box in our mind, hoping we can unpack them later – later meaning hopefully never.

And in the process, we waste a lot of time. We would benefit much faster and much more if we learnt to face these questions head-on and began rooting for the answers right then.

Easier said than done, I know. But it’s possible, believe me.

And now, just to make it that bit easier for you – there is an answer to the old classic, “What is happiness?” If you’ve begun asking the tough questions, perhaps this will speed up the process :)

Happy figuring-out-life to you!