Happiness Is the Little Things
This might surprise you, but if you look up the definition of the word “happiness” in the dictionary, you will find the following: “A state of well-being and contentment upon possessing something.”
But language falls short in this case, giving the false sense that in order to have happiness, one must accumulate things: houses, cars, etc…
We cannot deny that we as people need goods and materials to live. Training for a job in order to earn money is part of the basic and necessary steps towards happiness. Although we should be aware of material things, they do not always cover all of our complex human needs.
We as people have aspirations and basic needs like love, self-improvement, personal satisfaction, daily wellbeing, peace, emotional balance, achieving a dream, feeling acknowledged. These invisible dimensions are not always covered by a good checkbook.
As the famous saying goes, happiness is not the destination, but rather the journey that we take every day.
Do you agree with this?
Happiness hides in the little things
We are sure that you know more than one person who talks to you on a daily basis about their projects as final goals in achieving true happiness.
“When I get promoted, I will be able to buy myself the house I want and I will be happy.” “When I find the right person I will be able to be truly happy.” “I really want to take this trip so I can at least be happy for a week.”
If people always conceive of their happiness as residing somewhere in the future, they can never live in the present. And since when can you plan your own happiness?
This idea is a mistake; happiness doesn’t work well as a goal. It is worth it to be aware of the following points:
- The important thing is the “here and now.” The present in which you live is what defines you. It is the path which you are on right now, and you deserve to walk it with happiness, balance, and peace.
- The future still does not exist. You can set personal and professional goals for the future that motivate you each day, but while you are working to reach them, do your best to live happily. Each day, each step towards these goals is worth taking if you have taken it happily.
- Happiness is not something just happened upon. Nor is it something fleeting and momentary. Happiness is made of and is found in the littlest things, the seemingly insignificant things.
Hold back for just a moment your forward motion, that view fixed on the future, and observe what is around you:
You have family and friends who make you laugh. You have someone who holds your hand and supports you. You hear your children laughing every day. You are healthy. Maybe you have pets that accompany you everywhere and give you unconditional love. You have moments of privacy in which you can dream. You feel the sun and smell the trees. You get up in the morning with excitement, and you enjoy reading a good book or watching a good movie. You feel free when you walk, when you run through the rain… All of this, although you might not believe it, is also happiness.
We must make it clear: there is no magical recipe for happiness. We must also also be aware that happiness is not always permanent. There are curves, drops, black holes both big and small that sometimes drag us down and make us feel small.
No life is lived without pain and no medicine is quite as effective as suffering to truly show us what happiness is. Sometimes, the most we should value is calm, serene tranquility in which we should feel good about ourselves and who we are.
Simple happiness is the most gratifying, but not everyone knows that or can see it.
Sometimes someone only aspires to amass things, to get things and even ‘collect’ people…but their heart stays empty. It doesn’t matter how much effort it takes, their happiness is always short-lived because they are unable to understand the true secret of this life: Living in peace, appreciating little things, feeling good about yourself, and learning to be humble and happy with everything that surrounds you.
Now, tell us, what does being happy mean to you?