The other day, I was reading an article about inspirational movies on Great Musings. The article features a movie named ‘Pursuit of Happyness’. The movie is about relentless struggle of a man to find success and happiness. Interested readers can find out more using the link below.

5 Best Inspirational Movies To Watch | @GreatMusings

After watching the movie, I started thinking about Happiness and how we humans keep chasing it. In reality, we stumble on happiness everyday, but we are so engrossed in our activities and plans and preoccupied with our thoughts that we just don’t notice it. We humans connect our happiness with what other people think or say about us. We look for happiness in things that will fade away with time.

Can Material Pleasures Bring Happiness

Material pleasures can make us happy, but, for a short period of time. It’s like when a child gets a new toy. It makes the child happy, but, after a while, the child gets bored and wants to have a new toy.

For me life is beautiful journey. We all have our own shares of happiness and sorrows. The trick is to overcome the sorrows and to share the happiness. Friends and family act as catalyst in this process. There is a Hindi adage (दुःख बाँटने से घटता है और ख़ुशी बांटने से बढ़ती है): It means that sharing your sorrows with your friends and family reduces it and sharing your joy with them increases it. But, we humans need to learn to find and notice the little joys of our lives.

I am not old enough to say I know everything but old enough to find happiness in my day-to-day life. My happiness lies in the early morning rising sun, the beautiful color changing clouds, to see birds splattering water out of the earthen pot I keep for them in our backyard. I feel happy watching squirrel running around here and there, eating the chapati crumbs I spread on the boundary wall.

I am happy to see my parents’ satisfied face with a mission accomplished kind of expression. They worked hard to raise their kids and seeing them settled in life with their families gives them immense satisfaction. I feel happy when I see my siblings, my children and friends achieving success in what they always wanted to do.

Satisfaction on people’s face when they share their food and other items with  less privileged, brings me happiness. Community kitchen staff who daily serve food to thousands  and thousands of hungry, homeless people. The satisfaction and peace on their face is happiness.

My Journey towards Happiness

I stay at home, my son is now a teenager, so I have a good amount of time all by myself. I find my happiness in the art of painting, which I believe, is a gift of God to me. I started fabric painting for my family members and soon I started my work professionally under the name ” Fabrica by Nancy – wearing art…..”. I started putting small exhibitions for my friends and received very good responses.

Now, a woman who stays at home, found her happiness and started a journey of her own. Life always has ups and downs, but, we find our happiness.

There are many people in the society who set themselves as an example for all. They teach us to be happy against all odds instead of cursing each and complaining about life. So everyone of us should be responsible for our own happiness. Happiness, that should not be linked to any body or any materialistic things. It is our responsibility to keep ourselves happy, it’s not an option. We all have to find a way to be happy.

Spread Happiness to be Happy

I like the work done by Varun Pruthi an actor who feels happy by putting a big smile on street vendor’s face. He surprises them by paying a generous amount for small items just to help them celebrate festivals like everyone else. He  motivates others to spread happiness whenever one can. He goes to them just like any other regular customer to buy stuff. He starts a conversation by asking about their business, their daily earnings etc., and at the end of the conversation hands them a thousand rupee or so, sometimes even more. When a vendor refuses to take the money, he persuades them to keep the amount. Other times, he quietly keeps food packets near beggars.

You should see the happiness on their faces. It’s priceless!

Sharing one’s time by listening to a disturbed mind or spending time listening to our elders is also a way to bring happiness. Life is beautiful but ticking away very fast. Lets change our complaining and cursing time to spreading happiness and to make it a happy time.

Conclusion

Its not what all we have acquired, but, are we really enjoying what we have acquired? This should be the measure of happiness for us. It all lies in our thinking. Our mind is way too smart than we think. It  can be trained to be happy.  It has to be trained such that others not behaving well would not affect your happiness. If you can’t do it, majority of time you will be unhappy in your life.

Disclaimer: The thoughts expressed in this article belong solely to the author and are not subscribed to by the Great Musings platform.

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Nancy Pande

Artist and Entrepreneur
Owner of "Fabrica By Nancy"
Writer at Great Musings

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