“Life gives you lots of chances to screw up, which means you have just as many chances to get it right”- Candace Bushnell. Sex and the City.
I am happy: essentially one of the most common sentences that we come across every day.
But are we happy? Really happy?
Think about it!
This is not just another article on happiness. But I hope this chapter helps you navigate on the quintessential topic of happiness.
We come across various articles, posts, emails, and interviews of people expressing their views on this.
Pause. Breathe. Think.
What is your idea of happiness?
The first day out of quarantine. The first sip of caffeine hitting your lips in the morning. The warm beam of light shining through your window at 8 am in the morning. Waking up to a simple “your order has been delivered” message. Knowing that you can easily make today one of your best days. The possibilities are endless, and the world is your oyster.
What did you do for that feeling? What made your serotonin level go- “oh this is something I like!”
You created that feeling. I am happy. Today is going to be a good day. I am positive. Negativity is miles away. This is your positive mindset affirming yourself that no matter what happens, you have the option of creating your own happiness from it.
There is no what if!
Life is going to knock you down and it is going to knock you down hard. It is your choice about what you’re going to do with that information. Do you really want to wallow in self-pity and live out your best days in sadness? Do you want to inevitably regret thinking ‘what if’? Or do you want to take charge, get up and face whatever life has to offer.
This mindset is not only going to make you strong, but it will also act as reminder that “when I was at my lowest, I was also strong willed enough to make the most of my circumstance and make things happen for me”.
People are going to judge. They are going to laugh. But are they ever going to “be you”? Are they ever going to be in the exact same position as you? The answer is no.
So, what do you do? You get up. You take that shower. You dress up like a queen that your parents raised you to be. And you make this day count. For nobody but yourself. There are going to be so many people trying to impose their perception of life onto you. They may completely change your idea of life. Accept the fact that you can only make one soul happy and that the one that matters the most is you!
Make it count!
My dear, you only have one life. One day to make it count because as difficult it is, life is short.
Learn it the hard way that you cannot make everyone happy. You can only make you happy.
So, decide. Do you want to live out your very limited, time bound journey on this planet trying and failing to satisfy others? Or do you want to live each day to the maximum, be able to hear your heart beat every day and at the end of the day, be so excited about life that nobody else’s opinion will ever matter?
You were the yesterday; you are the today, and you will be the tomorrow. Wake up. Smell the coffee. Do what makes you happy. Go hug your parents and tell them how much they mean to you. Go fall in love. Attend that art class!
It is your life, and you are responsible for it. Do not let society’s perception of life affect what you want to do.
Gather your resources. Make lists. Listen to Louis Armstrong. If that is what makes you happy, my dear there is no looking back.
Be kind to yourself!
You might think that being kind to yourself is but let me break it down for you. It is not.
Humans, as humane as we are, can also be cruel. You have to gather strength, breathe out the negative and just say “no”. No, this is not what I want. No, this is not what makes me happy. And no, I am not going to do it.
You might be mocked, and maybe even ridiculed. But you will know that you did what you did because it made you happy. It’s time to say “no” to things that make you regret keeping quiet and not speaking up.
No one should ever compromise and bend to the pressure of respecting someone else. That someone will never replace you. That someone does not have to face your consequences even when you are acting with the best interest at heart.
Learn to blossom in your mistakes. Take the experience as a lesson and come back stronger next time so that there will be no “next time”.
You have a blank canvas every day. Paint it however you want. Let there be chocolates growing on trees if that is what will make you happy.
After all this, I hope you realize how short your life is. If you do not snap out of it and create your own reality or make your own mistakes, you will never be able to face that little girl staring back at you in the mirror. Do it for yourself. Do it for your future, content, satisfied and completely ecstatic one-minute later self.
Do it. Create your own happiness.
