Chapter 2
My 6 Quest for Happiness
In my quest for happiness, I discovered that anybody could be happy, if only they knew what happiness is and then went about achieving it systematically. Happiness is as simple as making a cup of tea, but even making a cup of tea involves a recipe or a process. If one does not follow the process or steps, it would be impossible to prepare a good cup of tea. Likewise, it is the same with happiness.
Anybody can be happy. You don't have to be the richest person on earth to be happy. For all you know, the richest person on earth may also be the unhappiest that ever lived. Of course, money can give you pleasures, but money cannot directly buy you happiness. While the lack of money can result in not having material possessions which may make us dissatisfied, it is not necessarily true that poverty is guaranteed to make you unhappy. In this materialistic world, it is pragmatic and important to have a decent earning. But, one must be aware that material prosperity is not directly proportionate to happiness. So move on without worrying about how much money you have. Whatever be your material possessions or earnings or wealth, you can still be happy.
As long as you have a deep aspiration to be happy, you can be happy. If you don't want to be happy, then you may have all the money in the world, and yet remain unhappy. So the 1st Step towards happiness is to want it.
Once you wanna be happy, the next step is to know what makes you happy. If you don't know what will make you happy, how can you ever be happy? Every happiness seeker must learn this 2nd Step in the journey to happiness. Once you desire happiness and know exactly what will make you happy, then you are progressing in your journey towards happiness and need to move on to the 3rd step.
The 3rd Step is having the courage to do what it takes to be happy. It is not enough to just want happiness and know what will make you happy. If you do not take action, happiness will continue to remain a distant dream.
Halfway through, one must analyze if the process is working and if the goal is half achieved. Surely, there will be some bottlenecks and problems in your journey that will try to hold you back from your dream of being happy. You must confront and defeat them to progress in the path to happiness. Discover this in the 4th Step.
While it is simple for anyone to follow these 4 steps and reach closer to the peak of happiness, there may be a few unfortunate ones who are deep in sorrow as if the quicksand of misery is holding them back from their aspiration of happiness. Well, for them the 5th Step is the most important step that will reveal, how they can escape from the prison of unhappiness and how they can rejuvenate their lives to create new hope for joy. Yes, it is possible, but before attempting the first 4 steps, this group needs to visit the 5th step and then start the journey. The reason I insist on step number 5 is because many of us are entangled in this slot and we need to get out of it. Therefore, it is very important for this step to be part of the 6 steps of the happiness journey. People in this step are in a different state of mind. They are deeply buried in sorrow. Their life is surrounded by misery.
They wish to be happy, but can they find happiness? Is there hope, even though they seem to be deeply immersed in unhappiness? Yes, anybody can be happy, but they must first learn to bounce back to life. Once they do, they can follow the steps that will guarantee happiness and transform their lives.
And then finally, we arrive at the Sixth Step. It is easy to be happy occasionally, but how do you remain happy all the time? This is the magic we discover in the sixth step where each of us can decide how we want our life to be. Happiness need not be a flavor of the month. It is something that can be yours forever.
So far, I have only given you a small glimpse of the journey to happiness; it is not the journey itself. You must read each chapter to understand each step and then put it into action. Once you do, happiness is guaranteed. It cannot escape you, if you sincerely adapt your life to these six steps.
The moment you stop following the process to find happiness, you may sink into sorrow. The choice is yours! If you don't like the fruit you are growing, you must change the seeds that you are sowing. And for this, you must have the courage to change. Only then can you be truly happy!
Happiness is the most important thing in life. Almost everything that people do in their lives is done to make them happy. They make money so that material prosperity gives them joy. They work hard to build name and fame so that the popularity keeps them excited and happy. They chase lofty dreams and accomplish achievements so that it gives them a sense of fulfillment and brings them happiness.
If only people knew that there is a shortcut to happiness which they could easily discover, and it comprised of six simple steps that would guarantee joy; then they would escape a complicated life and live simply but happily for the rest of their lives. Happiness is not a distant dream, if only we know what it means and how we can achieve it. Let us start the journey to discover the 6 steps towards everlasting joy, one by one.