echo The popular misconception of happiness is that once we obtain tangible things or experiences such as achieving a certain grade, the opportunity to work in a prestigious company or a chance to travel the world- we would be happy. Phrases like ‘When I have this amount of money in my bank account, I will be happy’, or ‘when I lose this much weight , I will be happy’. Everyone has this ideal notion of attaining and acquiring certain physical things and opportunities that would result in happiness. However, in reality happiness is achieved from within. No amount of external tangible objects, experiences and people can make you truly happy. Nevertheless, aligning your perspective to be more receptive towards gratitude will do wonders in helping you to achieve inner happiness and the appreciation of the biggest miracle and mystery to ever occur- life.
Not every day will be your birthday or your graduation day or the day you receive an award; most days are just average and if we chose to undermine and disparage these average days to only wait for ‘special days’ in order to celebrate life, then we would be wasting precious time waiting to be happy. In reality every day is an opportunity to enjoy, through embracing and celebrating life and connecting to your inner consciousness; consequently finding happiness. Imagine how much of our lives we are missing out on while romanticizing the past and fantasizing the future. If we only defined our happiness as the big magical moments, then we would be constantly waiting to find that spark of joy. Hence, by appreciating your present; all the painfully average moments such as going for a walk, watching television, eating lunch even washing the dishes can be made magical. By changing our approach through shifting our mindsets in order to embrace these simple moments, we can be full of gratitude and contentment.
The whole idea of changing your perspective on happiness is the act of finding something small and simple, and to be grateful and mindful in that moment. To savor and find something deeper in that small, mundane second. It can be as small as noticing the way the sunlight seeps into your room or how the different flavors in your food just jive together in harmony. All you need is to be aware and take that extra second to recognize the beauty in everything, in every act and in everyone.
By Kevvel Kaur Tewana
