Do you want happiness? This simple question will always be answered with a big Yes! Without exception, we all want happiness although the idea of happiness may differ from person to person. There is a saying that goes, “Whatever happens, happens for the best.” Attaining happy state of mind becomes much easier once you internalise this idea. Be open to live events as they unfold in front of you. Always be aware that anything can happen at any moment. And the less you expect the more you enjoy.

Expectations or wishing things were certain way can often cause disappointment. Wants, needs, desires are often the reason why people are unhappy. When your desires are not fulfilled you become unhappy, dissatisfied and you start complaining that life is not fair. Let go of your unrealistic desires, don’t hold on to wishes that are unrealistic or overly ambitious.

Ambition and dreams are important, but being greedy and desperate for the same will break your heart.

People are often missing out the whole point. In the pursuit of happiness they move around so much that they forget to live. In search of future they miss out on the present.

The greed for money and luxury easily steals away happiness from you. Happiness is not always about money. There are so many people who are living a happy life with very little income. It is all about our outlook and attitude towards life. If you are appreciative of everyday things that exist in your life, happiness will come your way. If you can look at your life and see the good things and ignore the bad things you’ll be happy.

After all, happiness depends upon our mood. Our mind is like a horse that needs to be tamed. Don’t let your mind control you, control your mind instead. Let go of anger and resentment. Make space for love, peace and harmony.

To quote Mahatma Gandhi “Happiness is when what you think, what you say and what you do are in harmony.”

There are so many good lessons from great minds who have unlocked the secrets to happiness. Yet we choose to ignore such great wisdom. We are so engrossed in all the negative things that are happening in the world that we fail to look at all the good things too. We are continuously distracted, jumping from one job to another, one dream to another and in turn continuously disappointed.

Of course, this is the age of science and technology and we are connected to each other more than ever. But, shouldn’t there be a quota for interaction with the real world that exists beyond social media? Shouldn’t we make time for a world that exists offline?

We are so concerned about fixing our social media image that we fail at fixing our life. We compare ourselves to others so much that we forget who we really are and what really makes us happy. Jealousy and envy so easily take over. We aspire to become less like ourselves and more like others who themselves are struggling with identity.

Some wise man once said, happiness comes along when you let go of ‘I’, meaning selfishness, and ‘want’, meaning wants and desires.

Happiness cannot be found floating out in the world. Happiness comes from inside, from within. You have to control the ups and downs in your mind and heart to be happy.

To sum up, we will feel immense happiness when we are with our family members, old friends, relatives, colleagues, and our loved ones. We should embrace the things we already have and learn to appreciate them. Happiness lies in small things that we often tend to neglect while we get occupied with our busy life. We earn a degree, we find a job, we make money, we get married, thinking ‘now I’ll be happy’. But there’s no end. Happiness does not lie in these goals. You don’t have to cross over to find happiness. Happiness is right where you stand.

Wagle recently graduated from Pokhara University