Let me begin with a question.
What makes you happy?
Receiving and providing Love and care, Appreciation, Support; Professional success, Financial stability, the success of your spouse and children.
Am I right?
All these things made me happy and I was content with my life. I assumed I am very happy because things were going my way. Then suddenly things changed. Corona Virus shook our lives and unexpectedly we were in an extraordinary situation.
I was caught off guard and had to alter my plans. I was looking forward to a life I had always envisioned for myself and my family. I was awaiting this exciting new phase of my life and suddenly I find myself losing control. A sense of helplessness set over me.
When I was not enjoying the activities that have always given me joy, I discussed this with my friend and she suggested that I should read ‘Inner Engineering’ by Sadguru. She had just concluded the Inner Engineering online course and it had led her to a path of self- discovery.
Along with reading the book, I started listening to Sadguru’s talks on YouTube. That’s how I commenced a journey of introspection.
“Happiness starts with you. Not with your relationships, not with your job, not with your money, but with you”. -Sadguru
When we depend on external factors for happiness, it can be short-lived. In one of the videos, SadGuru asked, “If somebody else determines what is happening within you then is it, not slavery?” All the pleasant or unpleasant emotions that we feel are within us. If somebody else decides what happens within you then it’s the worst form of slavery, he said.
This put lot of things into perspective for me. I was depending on materialistic things for my happiness. I was feeling overwhelmed by the situation even after being secured in a home with plenty of food to satisfy my needs.
I was not looking within me, to seek true happiness. Although activities such as reading, writing, exercising had a calming effect on me, yet it was temporary. I was getting affected if someone would do or say something against my liking. Unconsciously I was giving someone else the power to make me feel happy or unhappy. Similarly, there have been times when I have been a reason to upset someone by my behaviour or words. There have been countless times where I have regretted my attitude of dealing with difficult situations. All these actions became a source of unhappiness which in turn led to more negative thoughts affecting my body and mind.
It is a gradual process of self- discovery and self-improvement but I am actually happy that I have set on to it. My own strengths have been a realization for me. By embarking on this journey of looking inward, within myself, I feel a little happier daily.
When I got to know that Ruchie and Dipika have planned the SpeakEasy Blogging Challenge with Happiness as the central theme, I decided to take this opportunity to share my learnings. I wanted to reach out to more people and I am grateful to them to organize this during such difficult times when we feel so unsure about our future.to
Also, this is my 250th blog post and I am truly happy that it has come at a time in my life when I decided to focus on inner transformation. I am so glad that my personal and blogging milestones concurred.
I would like to conclude with a very simple tip by SadGuru.
“Smile immediately once you wake up and continuously make it a practice to smile at every hour during the day.”
This simple yet powerful tip is doing wonders within me and I recommend that all those reading this post try and incorporate in your lives.
Until then,
Stay at home
Stay Safe
Stay Happy
“This post is written for SpeakEasy Blogging Challenge by Ruchi & Dipika“