How to Find Happiness – 5 Approaches to True Joy
Everyone seeks happiness, trying to find joy in various aspects of life and relationships. But does everyone truly achieve it? Can someone who desires happiness find it in every object or experience throughout life? Is being happy the same as experiencing pleasure? What does happiness truly mean? How can one achieve it? Let’s explore these questions and understand more deeply.
How to be happy?
Many people spend their lives dwelling on past events or worrying about the future. As a result, they fail to focus on the present moment. They don’t realize the importance of the path they are currently on, which ultimately shapes their future. Like a seed growing into a tree, our present actions shape what’s to come. Yet, knowing this and actually practicing it in daily life are two different things.
Everyone wants to be happy, but it’s often challenging to maintain a sense of joy consistently. Let’s start by defining what happiness truly means:
“Happiness is a state of mind created by our awareness. It is an ideal experience that can bridge the gap between life’s joys and sorrows, whether for a brief moment or for an extended period.”
In our lives, we often seek happiness through material things. However, this type of happiness is temporary. True, lasting happiness comes from within. Our minds don’t have a fixed standard for happiness. Different things—whether a situation, a word, an emotion, or a conversation—can bring us joy.
What’s the difference between happiness and joy?
There is a clear difference between happiness and joy. I’ll use an analogy to explain: Think of vowels and consonants in language. Vowels are complete sounds, while consonants need vowels to be pronounced. Similarly, joy is like the vowels—complete on its own. Happiness, like consonants, needs something to sustain it, to manifest in our everyday lives.
Happiness is often linked to wealth, but this type of happiness can also lead to suffering. True joy, on the other hand, is a pure state of mind and is not dependent on external conditions. It does not cause pleasure or pain, but rather, it’s a beautiful mental state that we feel within ourselves.
Can material things bring lasting happiness?
Material things or events can bring temporary happiness, but true happiness is a deeper, spiritual state of mind. Greed and envy often drive our desire for material pleasures, and this pursuit disturbs our mental peace. When the mind is restless, it becomes difficult to experience lasting happiness, even when we attain what we desire. This is why, despite moments of joy, we often feel that something is missing.
How can we find ways to be happy?
The most important question is: How can we discover lasting happiness? Many people look for happiness outside themselves, hoping to find it in material possessions or experiences. But real joy lies within.
Lord Gautama Buddha once left his palace and kingdom in search of the meaning of life. After a long journey, he realized the truth was within him all along. Similarly, we often look for happiness outside ourselves, but the real source of joy is within our own minds.
Let’s look at some ways to bring more happiness into our lives:
- Believe in yourself and cultivate self-respect.
- Maintain healthy relationships.
- Think before reacting in anger.
- Develop a positive mindset.
- Practice forgiveness.
Be true to yourself and stay honest.
Are we being honest with ourselves? Do we respect who we truly are? This is a crucial question to ask. Often, we lie to ourselves, creating a barrier to our inner happiness. These lies are usually attempts to hide our flaws, but the more we lie, the more we believe them. This disconnect between who we are and who we pretend to be causes deep unhappiness. True happiness comes from embracing both our strengths and our imperfections.
Build meaningful relationships.
Whether it’s family, friends, or colleagues, meaningful relationships contribute greatly to our happiness. Maintaining strong, healthy connections helps lighten the mind and brings inner peace. When we feel calm and connected, we experience deeper contentment.
Think before reacting in anger.
Anger can destroy our mental peace like fire. When we act out of anger, we often regret our actions later, and this regret pulls us further away from happiness. Anger is a powerful enemy of joy. Actions driven by anger can harm both ourselves and others, making it impossible to feel truly happy afterward.
Cultivate a positive mindset.
Success in life is closely tied to our ability to think positively. A positive outlook helps us face challenges with courage and resilience. In many ways, our level of happiness is directly linked to our mindset.
Practice forgiveness.
Holding onto anger or resentment disturbs our mental peace and keeps us from experiencing true happiness. By forgiving others and letting go of grudges, we open our hearts to more joy. Building connections with others based on respect, love, and compassion is key to lasting happiness.
Read More: 10 Essential Relaxation Techniques for Managing Stress at Work
