We've all been granted the gift of a pocketful of happiness but the choice of how we utilise it is ours. We can either fritter it away on things which can, at best, bring us temporary satisfaction or optimise it to prolong our bliss. An infallible method to attain the latter, according to us at least, is by making others around us happy.
This is not an idealistic or spiritual talk but a proven way…happiness multiplies when shared with others. Throw your mind back to childhood birthday parties, being surrounded by your loved ones and friends wishing you joy as you cut your cake. The specialness of the day was enhanced, not because of the gifts you were receiving but due to the pleasure of others being a part of your special day.
When we decided to name our website ‘Pocketful of Happiness’, neither of us gave much thought to the word ‘happiness’. After all, it’s self-explanatory. Happiness means many different things – a deep feeling of joy, a state of peace and tranquility, an acute sense of satisfaction, an appreciation of the good things of life, to love and be loved. To us, happiness conjures up the image of our family gathered around a delectable meal set on the dining table with a big bowl of yellow and orange flowers in the centre.
The colours yellow and orange signify happiness. Yellow as the sun peeping its way up into the sky, filling the day with light and warmth; and orange as the bright setting sun in all its splendour, directing nature to settle down to rest.
While we cannot always be cheerful and full of pep, we can do everything in our power to achieve this feeling which strengthens the core of our being. It is human nature to seek pleasure and avoid pain. But happiness is not an option. If we wish to be healthy, there is no other surefire way than to be happy. The benefits of being happy are numerous – it not only helps us to destress, enabling a good quality of life, but also increases productivity and builds good relationships.
For some, happiness is the green grass across a neighbour’s or colleague’s fence. But what stops them from sowing the seeds of contentment in their own garden? Each of us needs to plant our own seeds of happiness and find inner joy instead of envying others. We need to do things that give us a sense of fulfilment and make us happy. It could be anything – from helping someone in need, reading a book and walking a pet to rearranging the furniture, painting or cooking a meal for the family.
Happiness is never out of reach or as elusive as we make it out to be. We can, if we set our minds to it, have as much of it and as often as we like. The lakes may dry up and taps will run out of water, but not our capacity for happiness. There are some people who seem to do just that; their lives are filled with a rare positivity and they see good in everything; their smiles and laughter encompassing everyone around them. It is an indisputable fact that when we’re happy, we radiate a glow that draws others to us.
Wouldn’t it be simply wonderful if happiness was a bulb that we could switch on within us and leave the light on forever? As Professor Albus Dumbledore tells us so profoundly in J.K. Rowling’s Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban, “Happiness can be found, even in the darkest of times, if one only remembers to turn on the light.”
