Majority of people I meet seem to be unhappy instead of being happy and when I ask them the reason behind their unhappiness, their list of reasons never seem to end. They are so engrossed in searching for reasons to be unhappy and they are blind and unaware when happiness knocks on their door and instead of welcoming it with a smile they shun it away with a frown.
There is a phrase often used, “ If you spend your whole life trying to be happy you will fail” Chasing happiness will only leave you disgruntled, discontent, angry and then the phase of pretending to be happy begins which over a period of time becomes a habit of part of your life.
Many a times in our race to chase happiness we are so focused on what we don’t have instead of being grateful for what we have. This feeling of lacking something constantly leads to unhappiness. Happiness should not be you goal nor an end state but a way of being. Happiness is a mindset which comes from within and not from outward circumstances. You don’t have to be perfect in life to be happy. According to John Stuart Mill, “only those people are happy who have their minds fixed on some object other than their own happiness.”
You may be trying so hard to convince yourself that you’re genuinely happy. However, deep down, you’re screaming in pain and only pretending to be happy. This is not the right way to live your life. If you want to live a happy life, you need to embrace all experiences fully. Let yourself experience every wonderful moment, even the terrible ones.
Chasing happiness is only an attempt to block out the unpleasant aspects of life, and you can never sustain this. A life well-lived will contain both horrors and wondrous moments. Instead of sheltering yourself from pain, use it as a tool to learn and grow. It is through the pain that a lot of us learn to appreciate when good things happen.
Life would be incredibly dull if we had to live from one blissful moment to the other. Our wins and joys would be meaningless, as there would be nothing to celebrate.
Life can be compared to two sides of a coin: joy and anger, and happiness and sadness. So, rather than getting lost while chasing happiness, live a happier life by engaging in activities that allow the flow of happiness to you.
Instead of chasing happiness, experience true happiness by seeing what’s already there. In the words of Bertolt Brecht, “Everyone chases after happiness, not noticing that happiness is right at their heels.”
You don’t have to chase happiness to get it. Instead, it involves more of seeing what you already have and appreciating it. You will notice that when you force yourself to chase happiness, it seems much harder to get it. However, when you realize that you can be happy about the smallest things, then you will be open to more colorful life.
Fulfillment follows when you live a life that is meaningful to you. So, stop chasing happiness and let it flow towards you instead.
In the end in we are so focused in chasing happiness we might end up chasing it away from our lives.