Slow down and enjoy life. It's not only the scenery you miss by going too fast - you also miss the sense of where you are going and why.
Eddie Cantor (1892 - 1964)
There I was, slowly swaying back and forth in the rocking chair in my living room. All the lights turned off, apart from the soothing glow of a nearby night light. Soft music played on the radio. In my arms was the most beautiful creation ever, partially covered with a blankie. His head rested on a pillow supported by my arm. His eyes were closed, his chest slowly rising and falling as he slept. I just could not take my eyes off of baby Mason.
At that moment in time, life wasn't about work, money, acceptance, even relationships. It was just life at it's simplest. Deep down in my heart - no, my very soul - I was happy.
You see, we all strive for happiness. We all have our something that we think will make us happy. Whether it is a new car, or partner, or house, or even a new improved stomach... Of course, life would be much better when we have that new lakeside home. And we would be much less stressed if we could go to the shopping mall in that '04 Celica. Is this really the case though?
An object in possession seldom retains the same charm that it had in pursuit.
Pliny the Younger (62 AD - 114 AD)
Now... think about the last major purchase you made, whatever it may be. It does not even have to be a possession, it could be a promotion you have put a lot of time into getting, even winning an argument. Now, did it make you happy? I'm not talking about whether it made you smile, feel proud, gave you pleasure. Really, think about it... did it make your soul smile?
Many of us spend 40 hours a week at work. We work hard, and earn our money well. Then the paycheck gets to you, and you find that after paying all the credit card bills, car payment, house payment etc., there is barely anything left! We strive this hard, all in the pursuit of happiness, and yet it still evades us. Deep down, we are still unhappy.
The bird of paradise alights only upon the hand that does not grasp.
John Berry, Flight of White Crows
So, after considering what happiness is not... we must now find what happiness is. A wise man named Anthony de Mello (who was the inspiration behind this article) wrote "We always have everything we need to be happy".
Since our situation in the world is constantly changing, temporary at best, and we can never have everything we want, how can we have everything we need to be happy? What if we were to get stranded on an island? Let's go with that illustration... You have a beautiful house, the latest model car, your spouse is a supermodel / adonis. You decide to go on a vacation, but the small plane you bought goes down in the ocean half way to Hawaii, and you awake on a deserted beach. How can you possibly be happy? You no longer have any of the things that once made you "happy".
What do you have that could make you happy? Within this question lies the secret to happiness... and that secret is: you. You are the one thing that can make you truly happy. Regardless of what you have, or do not have... there is always you. You are the one that decides that you are unhappy without your house, or car, or even spouse.
The simple fact is, happiness is not in your future. It is now. You have happiness in you no matter what. Sometimes it takes little things to remind us of this fact, like watching a baby sleep, or looking up to the stars, or smelling the sweet scent of a rose. These things by no means bring happiness in themselves... no... they just make you forget what you do not have, and remind you of what you do have. You have a beautiful thing, that is, life itself.
If your success is not on your own terms, if it looks good to the world but does not feel good in your heart, it is not success at all.
Anna Quindlen
Happiness lies within no object, no possession... it resides only in one place. Your soul. So... how to achieve happiness? You need not get rid of all of your earthly possessions. Just realize that they are not required for happiness. In doing this, you will have freed yourself from the bonds of what this world calls "success", and found that which brings a smile to your soul.
I implore you all to look inside yourselves, and be happy with what you see. You will find a joy, a love which is by no means temporary. After all, it resides where no man can take it away from you, deep inside your soul.
God bless each and every one of you
Keith Jones