Signs of happiness

Happiness is no commodity available for sale on the shelf of the supermarket or a bartered good in exchange for a favor. It cannot be traded be it in our relationships or something else like swapping for luxury. It's about living in the Now moment and be aware of every moment in life, the deep breathing that we take, conversations that make us present or admiring nature in all its forms. In fact, it goes beyond everything during our daily interaction whether it's through the compliment we make and receive or by making a difference to someone's life by giving freely. Happiness is a Karmic thing. It often takes the form of fighting our inner demons, surmounting obstacles in life and smiling over issues that afflicts us. It's seamless and unlimited.

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For me, happiness can be as simple as helping someone and brightening up faces or enjoying a cup of chai at the tapdi. I derive utmost joy in the simple things of life or the five minutes meditation that I  make to be more aware of my soul and the surrounding. There are efforts being made to be more conscious of my human presence and that of the spiritual leaning that I am working towards. I look forward to my weekly yoga class with my Guru who teaches us the different postures, being chided for the wrong movements and working on the body exertions or limits that I lack. Surya Namaskar, for instance, has helped me to concentrate better. We are often corrected by the Master and laugh together at the smallest mistakes that we make in class. The joy is immense and cannot be quantified by money or any other form of materialistic pursuit.

I have always felt that happiness has eluded me when I look at the past struggling years and the fact that I am not able to immediately shift back to Mumbai and Pune, the cities that gave me everything in life. But, it's a a flawed yardstick for happiness is an ongoing process. My philosophy of life resumes in the organic growth in all directions and absolutely love it when life surprises me in all its forms, when I least expect things to happen. It gives me a sense of accomplishment and immense joy that words cannot express. 

As humans, we are always limited in some form or the other and it's the best that can happen to us since it sets the stage to grow and surmount obstacles that we often face. What fun if life was always a bed of roses? It would be a so boring to exist and we would content ourselves with what we have and not raising our standards at all. It's one way to look at happiness. Raising one's standard and not building expectations help us to accomplish so much in life, never abandoning in the face of defeat.

The most beautiful aspect of life happens when we face adversity in life and still we are able to sparkle faces with a smile despite our energy is sucked to the core is a sign of happiness. Our attitudes to personal tribulations and the downhill we take help to define our past, present and future is a sign of the good times or joy that will come our way. It's perfectly normal to be irritated, become dull and don an angry avatar. But, what matters is the genuineness in us which comes alive. One can claim to be truly happy when no matter how browbeaten we become, we do not become evil or negative but keep spreading smiles in our surroundings. 

Making mistakes is natural. It's one thing that we should always make and keep learning for it's a sign of joy that will manifest itself which makes us grow in its midst. The life trajectory of  a human being is about taking pride in the learning curve offered by life and always making small improvements. It's the biggest competition in life where every day we climb one small step towards human happiness.

A truly happy person is someone who will not compare itself to the world as this optimist soul believes in competing with the self every single day without putting anyone down. Personally, I believe in this quote, 'High tide lifts all boats.' It something that a truly happy person will aspire to and will never shy in helping someone in the same field. Life is not a race but a journey that we reach by uplifting others.

Our existence is like the petal that adorns every single action that we make, adding sheen to the garden of life with beauty and watering the plants that blooms every new season. We are the petal, roots and water at the same time that ushers the positive vibes of happiness at every moment in the atmosphere. We are happiness. It's a soulful experience in our quest to feel everything beautiful. After all, we are spirits that soar high in the sky to leave traces of joy in this circle that binds humans together.

With love
Vishal