Recently I met a friend after a long gap. After the usual pleasantries, she asked me if I was happy. Now that is a question that I have been pondering on for a while myself. And while I have known the answer all along, it wasn't easy to admit that I wasn't.
Now don't get me wrong...I am not unhappy or sad. In fact, I am very grateful for what I have...a good career, a comfortable personal life, some minor health issues but nothing that can't be managed. The question, then, is why is happiness eluding me?
I am a very logical person or let’s say that I believe that I am a very logical and analytical person. So it’s not surprising I tried to approach this question logically. I looked at my professional life, my personal life, my health and I found that while nothing was 100% perfect, there was nothing dramatically wrong with any of the elements. I am considered successful, I have love of my near & dear ones and my fitness levels are definitely above average. With the current values of these independent variables, my happiness quotient should be high but it isn't!
And then, out of the blue, it struck me that happiness is not found in career or relationships or completing crazy workout programs. It's to be found in the small moments, like when you get an unexpected call/text from a loved one; or when your favourite song is on air; or when you fit into the jeans that has been sitting in your closet for years; or when someone compliments you out of the blue; or when a long lost friend reaches out to you...the list is endless. Happiness is not something that is a permanent state of mind. It's to be found in these moments...if we were always in a state of happiness, we would never appreciate the feeling...probably might even get bored of it.
So yes, I may not be happy right now...doesn't mean I won't be happy next minute. In fact, something happened just as I was typing this post, which brought a smile to my face :)
1 comment:
Very true, Iqbal, and like most profound things, very simple. For me, happiness consists of being grateful for what we have right now, which means we are focusing on the now. I heard a wise man say once - You cannot be grateful and miserable at the same time! :-)
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