As kids, we played Monopoly, and all our hotels and assets that we won finally got packed up in a box. The same happens in real life, except that it will be a coffin. Then why just run and run without having fun till life is done? Why not give as we live so that the world will cry when we die? Why not use our wealth when in good health rather than lose it at death?
Not Many Choose This Path!
Why is it that 80% of humanity don't evolve from Achievement to Fulfillment? Why is it that 4 of 5 amongst us struggle as if we are being controlled by our mind? I realized the problem. People on the achievement peak seem to be paralyzed. They seem to have a paralysis of traditional thinking. Their thoughts, habits, and beliefs force them to continue the tradition that has been going on for centuries. I am a carpenter, my father was a carpenter, and my son should be a carpenter. So people live and die generations after generations in an occupation that would last for centuries. Of course, you would say that it is no more true. Sure that has changed, and today, kids do not follow what their parents do. But neither do kids choose something that gives them happiness. Kids may not follow the occupation of their father or mother, but why do kids jump onto an achievement journey that doesn't give true peace? Why do people struggle like a yo-yo, going up and down the peak of life, being glad and being sad, and being happy and being unhappy in cycles?
Why do 80% of humanity not evolve from Achievement to Fulfillment? Because people think that the only way to be happy is achievement. People don't know that there is a better way to live. People don't know that there is a second peak of happiness. I could see people trying to climb the achievement peak, success after success, million after million, and achievement after achievement, but this does not make them happier. I could see that people knew that the goal of life is to be happy. Most of them understood that they wanted to do things that would make them glad, but they were sad.
It is most unfortunate that 80% of humanity seem to be stuck on a merry-go-round that goes round and round and does not stop, passing through happiness and unhappiness day after day. They are unable to take an exit route, incompetent of evolving and transforming their life, and paralyzed by their own mind, their own thoughts, and their own habits. Truly sad!
I wrote this book “I Wanna be Happy” because I was hoping that through this book and through the other books that I wrote, including “The A to Z of a life philosophy” and “Power your life with PEP”, and through my quotes and talks, I could inspire people. I wanted to help people not just exist but live and find a way that was happier, healthier, and wealthier.
I wanted to help people transform their life. I tried to touch and trigger in them thoughts that would lead them to the next peak. But I found that 80% of humanity still lived and died on the first peak of happiness….
It is ironical that while it seems so simple, still it is so rare that less than one out of five people in this world live a life of fulfillment. Why is it that the people are in a rat race trying to collect what will never be theirs? Why does the glitter of gold overpower the smile when it comes to making our priorities in life?
It seems that our habits and beliefs that come from our culture and philosophy have taught us the wrong things. We look at everybody – the majority – and just follow the herd. We know that the richest of men dies, but he doesn't take the remote control that controls his wealth after death with him. Still we are unable to change our paradigm of life and choose contentment rather than achievement as the driving force of life.
Look around you, and you will find that everybody wants to be happy, but not everybody is. People want to do a lot of things with their money and wealth, but they seem to be paralyzed on the peak of Achievement. At the same time, there are people who are modest in their lifestyle, but they are very happy. They are not chasing success, but they are blessed with joy and peace. But these people are fewer in number – far lesser than the majority who seem to be running from womb to tomb.
Sometimes it is a trigger – an inspiration from somebody who has evolved from Achievement to
Fulfillment – that helps one take an exit from the peak. Sometimes it is guidance from parents, family, a friend, or a teacher that makes an achiever change his path. However, till date, only a minority have been fortunate to evolve from the happiness peak of Achievement to the second peak of Fulfillment, where there is far greater joy and peace.
“Every day has 1440 minutes. Each minute is an opportunity to Rejoice or be unhappy, to Value Life or to waste it, to Make a Difference or just exist.” – RVM
Don't we human beings realize that the journey of life is short? Life is a journey, not a destination. We can't arrive at the end of life alive. That is the reality. We all have to reach our end, and before the end, we must live and not just exist and die. We must live with some purpose and meaning and with something that gives us joy, bliss, and peace. Do you know that we have barely 10,000 days to live before old age sets in? Then, we won't have health to enjoy our wealth. Further,we become a burden on others. We might have money, but nobody is interested in our life. They may chase us for our wealth, but when our health is in bad shape, neither can we travel nor we can do what we want to do. It is only in our prime that we can pursue and do things that make us happy.
Do what you love, and love what you do. How many people actually follow this philosophy of life? How many people realize that we must live before the journey of life is over? How many people know the importance of time?
This is beautifully captured in the poem - “Life is Just a Minute”.
Life is just a minute - only 60 seconds in it
Forced upon you - can’t refuse it
Didn’t see it - didn’t choose it But it’s up to you to use it
You must suffer if you lose it
Give an account if you abuse it
Just a tiny, little minute, but eternity is in it.
What do people say about transforming their life? They would say that I will do it “someday”. I am waiting to make my next million; I would do it “if” my children get married. I would like to be happy, “but” I am unable to leave my business. I will set up a charitable institution “if” my business grows forty percent every year. People live with BIBS – the four dangerous words that rob our happiness: “But, If, Because, and Someday”; and that someday never comes! It never comes because life slips by. When you talk to some people who didn't live their life doing the things they love, their life is full of regret, sorrow, and frustration. And many people have told me about their regrets: “ If I had to live my life all over again, then I would do this and I would do that”. “I would make a difference, and I would do things that make me happy”. “I would learn swimming, and I would scale mountains”.“I would spend time reading, and I would be on the beach”. But dear friend, it is too late…. You can't! Don't be amongst those who live a life of “would have”, “could have”, and “should have” done things. Do it now! Wake up and be happy by living a life of contentment and fulfillment, knowing that life is short. Many people, a majority of humanity, just live and die. They forget to laugh and so they forget to live.
We think so much about our children, about the next generation, and about the generations that will follow. But do you ever realize that if somebody asked you what was the name of the great grandfather of your great grandfather, chances are you won't even know. Can you believe that we human beings give up our life and our time to make money for future generations who won't even know our name! Does it make sense? Why do we forget to live, working like machines and just achieving success, achievement, and money that will be of no use?
Millionaires around the world have woken up to this and to the realization that our job is not just to give our children wealth. Our job is to teach them to adopt a good philosophy of life and give them skills that can put them on their feet. Give them enough security that they don't have to live a life of compromise. If you just leave a lot of money to your children, it is of no use. If they are capable, they would not need it; and if they are incapable, they will waste and finish it. In both cases, leaving too much of money for the next generation makes no sense. Wise people use their money to be happy by doing things rather than lose their money in the end doing things that gives them contentment and fulfillment. Today, there are many non-profit organizations and foundations doing humanitarian, environmental, and educational work supported by those on the Fulfillment journey. All these efforts help the world become a better place, but more than that, it brings a smile of joy to the one who gives. He truly lives, he truly understands the meaning of life, and he breaks the tradition by doing things that are dear to his heart and brings a smile on his lips.
Is Fulfillment the Ultimate Peak?
Fulfillment is the second peak of happiness. It is a peak beyond Achievement, wherein seekers of happiness can bask in sunshine of joy and peace, which is unknown to the common man. But is Fulfillment the ultimate peak of happiness?
Trekkers know that while climbing a mountain, they can't see the peak beyond. Only on reaching a peak, one gets a glimpse of what lies ahead. Most of humanity doesn't even know that there is a second peak. They live and die on the first peak of Achievement, trying to earn their day-to-day happiness amidst the turmoil of joy and sorrow. If they are fortunate, they become a part of the 20% who discover the second peak. But it is far more difficult for those on the second peak to discover the third and the ultimate peak of happiness.
One who is on the second peak is very happy. He is content and fulfilled. He lives a life of acceptance and enjoys what comes to him. He has few desires and therefore lesser disappointments. He is satisfied at his need and does not let greed take command of his life. But he is not free from sorrow, misery, and pain.
Those on the second peak experience sadness because they get imprisoned in several prisons of misery. What are these prisons of misery? Although one is very happy being content and fulfilled, one experiences physical pain as the body decays in disease. Sickness can cause anybody misery, and it doesn't end with physical pain. Another prison of misery is mental depression that may arise out of various circumstances. We sink into sorrow. A bigger prison that we can't escape from is death. This prison of misery locks us in much before death actually happens.
There are several other such prisons of misery. We are imprisoned by Karma – The Law of Cause and Effect, and we attribute our sorrows due to our past karmas, our past actions. It doesn't stop at that. We are imprisoned by rebirth – a result of our actions in the present life.
Some live in a prison of fear, some in a prison of worry, and others in a prison of anger. All these prisons of misery are due to our thoughts, actions, and habits. We get imprisoned in these prisons of misery although we may be without any desire and we are content. We still experience these miseries as helpless prisoners under their grasp.
How do we get free from these prisons of misery? Is there a way out? Can we escape from anger, worry, fear, karma, death, rebirth, disease, and pain? Yes, there is a way out. We can get freedom from these prisons of misery at the third and ultimate peak of happiness.
Doesn't it seem impossible? Yes, to one who lives as a mystic on the second peak or rather the plateau of Fulfillment, escaping from these prisons of misery seems to be like a fairy tale.
But there is a way to go from the second peak to the third peak of happiness. It starts with a quest – a search, and then goes on to understanding our deep ignorance and identifying our real enemies that are disguised as our best friends. On realization of the truth, we shall be led to the third peak of happiness.
For 25 years, I was on the first peak of happiness, trying to climb higher each day and aspiring to be happy. When I realized that the end of this peak was the cliff that fell deep down, I took an exit to discover the second peak of happiness. I was on that peak for 8 years and thought of it as the ultimate plateau. I could see the landscape merging with the horizon, but still while I was happy and peaceful, there was an element of doubt of a peak beyond.
I was blissfully happy making a difference by doing Humanitarian, Inspirational, and Spiritual work (H.I.S. work). It gave me tremendous Fulfillment as I was touching the lives of thousands of people every day. I was content, and this gave me a lot of peace! I did not sacrifice my pleasure and was living a normal life, travelling across the world, eating, drinking, and being merry with contentment and fulfillment.
I would have lived and died on the second peak of happiness – a peak of joy, bliss, peace, and tranquillity. Nothing seemed to topple the boat as I cruised along thinking that I was the happiest man in the world.
One day, my Mentor and my Guru asked me these questions: “What is the purpose of life? Why is a man born on the Earth? Where did the man come from? Where will he ultimately go? What lies beyond death?” He asked me many such questions, and I was caught off-guard! I was blank…. I had no answers to his questions, but I knew one thing: these questions were sure to lead me to the third peak of happiness.
I started a quest and search for the true purpose of life. I had to find the answers to nine questions that I formulated from all the thoughts that created turmoil in my mind.
With these nine questions, I started a quest – a search from the plateau of fulfillment, which is the Second Peak of Happiness, to find a purpose. I didn't know where I would go, but I knew one thing: I would not stop. I would search, I would find, and I would “ping” till I got answers to my questions.
For 2 years, I was on a quest, but I was very calm and happy doing my research. I studied every possible religion and every known philosophy. At this point, I didn't even know that I was searching for the third peak of happiness. I was just searching for the true purpose of life. At times, I felt like a fool who was giving up the pleasure of Achievement and the peace and bliss of Fulfillment by going on a search. I had started a search that not even 1% of humanity undertake. Ninety-nine percent of this world were least bothered. If you ask them what came first – the chicken or the egg, they would rather worry about how to roast the chicken and cook their eggs. But I was different. I was grateful, content, and happy, and I believed that there was a Power – a Universal Power or a Creator of this universe. I had no doubt that there was some power who created the sun, the moon, the stars, the birds, the animals, and the flowers. I went on a quest to find the truth – to find answers to questions that just a handful of people have pursued and found.
If I were to imagine Fulfillment – the Second Peak of Happiness – to be like a runway on which my quest was like a little airplane taking off, I could see the distant third peak of happiness very, very far away. Yes, I found that there was a peak in the distance that would not just give me the purpose I was looking for and answers to the 9 questions on life, but also I was somehow sure that the distant peak would be the Third and Ultimate Peak of Happiness.
What was it?