What is happiness? We have all asked ourselves this question.
Is happiness a feeling? Is it having a stable job, great friends, a romantic lover? Or, is happiness something that cannot be defined because it is deep and personal?
According to the master Buddhist Thich Nhat Hanh, happiness is a way of being.
“Many people think excitement is happiness…. But when you are excited you are not peaceful. True happiness is based on peace.”
In this simple but profound saying, Thich Nhat Hanh reveals the fact that true happiness is having an inner peace.
Moreover, he further says that the first step to becoming more peaceful is through acceptance. You need to accept you, as you are, and accept others for who they are as well.
Still, in Western society, many people struggle with their identity as they try to change who they are for others. And this is futile to their happiness and inner peace.
To be happy and beautiful means to be yourself. You must understand that other people’s opinions about you do not concern you, and you needn’t change who you are only to be accepted by others. Stop seeking approval from others, the only approval you need is your approval of yourself.
True power and happiness lie in having confidence in yourself, understanding yourself, and accepting yourself.
When we are deeply in touch with ourselves our understanding and appreciation for the present moment deepens and we become filled with joy, acceptance, love, and peace. And we start to notice the miracles of life, we see the beauty in a glass of water, a leaf, a flower, a caterpillar, a ray of sunshine, a raindrop, laughter…
When we live in awareness we can quickly realize that miracles are everywhere around us. Each human being is full of miracles – we all have different skin color, body shape, eyes that can see colors, ears that can hear music, beating hearts that beat in rhythm with the universe… We should all take a moment to appreciate these marvelous things instead of being discouraged and tired by our daily struggles.
He further says that if we want to think about the past or plans for the future, we should do that in a productive way.
Don’t allow yourself to get stuck worrying about the future or regretting something from the past. Stay firmly grounded in the present moment. Only by doing this you can achieve true happiness and satisfaction in life.
credits: Getty images
Mary Wright is a professional writer with more than 10 years of incessant practice. Her topics of interest gravitate around the fields of the human mind and the interpersonal relationships of people.If you have a general question or comment please fill out the form and we will get back to you as soon as possible https://curiousmindmagazine.com/contact-us/ .
