You were probably told that happiness is something abstract, airy and incorporeal. Or that it is a very individual, even intimate thing that differs from person to person. You can also read about it in various clever books, most of which have a rather general conclusion claiming that happiness is what you should seek for either inside yourself, or in every minute you breathe. Nevertheless, happiness is a colorful puzzle consisting of several elements, which are so obvious to us that we hardly ever take them into account when philosophizing about its nature. Let us look closer at them and once again make sure that life is a much simpler thing than we would like it to be.
Truth #1 Health Is Happiness
These are not very pleasant memories, but anyway try to remember how you felt after you caught, let us say, a common cold. Heavy head, runny nose and complete unwillingness to do anything, except for sleeping, definitely could not provide you with at least a good mood, to say nothing of the feeling of happiness. The only thing you were then craving for was recovery, the sooner the better. Now remember the long-awaited morning when you woke up without those nasty fever and sore throat, full of energy and intention to do good things. Right, you were healthy again! The question you should ask yourself is whether that morning condition of yours was the state of happiness, though usually it is described as something you are not able to feel physically. Whatever, the answer is yes, it was.
Truth #2 Self-Development Is Happiness
So many words have been said and written about how important it is to build up your own personality and shape your character. Hundreds of different strategies and methods have been worked out to help you find out more about yourself, develop your best skills and enrich your knowledge. Each time you learn something new, especially what you are really interested in, your individuality gets more wholesome, your mind grows sharper, and your acknowledgement of your own value becomes clearer. Whether you learn to play an exotic musical instrument, or to write Chinese characters, or just to place an electric bulb, you gain absolutely new experience, which is always unique in its own way, therefore revealing and developing more and more of what the Nature gave you.
Truth #3 Who You Love Are Happiness
A human being is a social creature. Although the feeling when we want to stay alone for some time is familiar to every one of us, we need other people, our nearest and dearest, who love and support us even in case we do not fully deserve it. Why do we need them? Why do we need to be supported and loved? Because we want to be happy, don’t we?
Truth #4 What You Love Is Happiness
They say that the happiest people are those whose jobs coincide with their hobbies. However, do not get upset if it is not about you. Your hobby is actually an amazingly powerful thing that can lift you up even if your job or study has got you down. Peaceful cooking or knitting, as well as breathtaking dancing or roller-skating, or whatever else you like, will certainly make your rainiest day much brighter!
Truth #5 Yes, Happiness Is Here and Now
This sounds hackneyed, but this is true. If now you can see these lines, you can touch the keyboard with your fingertips, you can drink your favorite coffee and smell its wonderful flavor, you can pick up your phone to dial the number of your parent, or sweetheart, or friend, then you should be really happy. Just know it!
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