Monday Musings 45

Cheerfulness, gracefulness, silence, self-control, purity of intent, these are called penance of the mind.  Bhagavad Gita 17.16

#HappinessIsAStateOfMind

Happiness is about more than objective wealth or what you do in life–it’s about your perspective, and about how you react to things that happen around you.

Even a king may be constantly grumbling but a pauper could be cheerful always. Possible because “Happiness is a state of mind”.

We have seen this happening in Mahabharath and Ramayan.  Dhritharashtra felt unhappy that his justful right to be coronated as the king was taken away from him, but he did not find his happiness even after becoming the king. After becoming the king, he started worrying about retaining the power for his son(s). After his son Durydhana was appointed as the ‘prince’, he started worrying about the prospect of war with the powerful pandavas. He never managed to be happy until his death.  Lord Rama on the contrary remained cheerful even when his right to be the king was taken away from him unjustly and was banished to the forest for 14 long year.

Some people constantly worry about something or the other like Dhritharashtra. They worry if it rains, worry if it does not rain as well. I jokingly refer to them as ‘they get up with their list of worries and at times worrying about nothing to worry for the day’.

Happiness isn’t about reaching a destination or achieving a goal; it’s about enjoying the journey that is life. Staying grateful for what you have, focused on the present, and a positive outlook can help you finally unlock the happiness you deserve.

We like people who have a cheerful outlook, who have something positive to say. We’re less keen on those who moan all the time, because they drag others down with them.

Humour is a big part of our daily lives; it oils communication and relationships and is often used to lighten things up. We like friends who make us laugh, and on those occasions when we just can’t stop laughing, we finally emerge from the experience feeling a whole lot better!

‘Being cheerful’ feels better… and it is better, for your heart, mind, and body!

#CheerfulnessAsALeadershipTrait

Being cheerful has long been understood to influence happiness at work and therefore productivity. Cheerful leaders broadcast confidence and capability. Would you like to work for a cheerful boss or a gloomy and moody boss. We don’t need to run a survey for this.

Making your organization a happy place to go to work is an essential component to the successful long-lasting business.

#WhoStoleMyHappiness?

Once upon a time, an affluent and successful businessman lived in a city. Though he had everything he wanted, he could not find happiness. He went to a sage living in a nearby forest for advice. The sage listened to him patiently and asked him to come back the next day around the same time. The man was disappointed but came the next day promptly.

The man reached the hermitage of the sage at the same time the next day and noticed that the sage was looking for something outside his hermitage.

The person asked, “What are you looking for Swamiji? May I help you!”

The sage replied, “I lost my ring, and I am searching for the same.”

The man joined the search party. After searching every nook and corner of the garden, the man got tired, but not the sage. The sage continued his search enthusiastically. The man quipped, “Swamiji, we are not finding your elusive ring after a long and tiring search but you are still searching. Is the ring so special? Why cannot we abandon the search?”

Swamiji replied “No, I cannot. It is a gift given to me by my guru when I attained spiritual mastery. I cannot afford to lose it”.

The man then retorted “If it is so special for you, you should have preserved it carefully”.

The sage heard his remark and replied without lifting his head “True. It is like you losing the precious happiness and searching your happiness everywhere. You must be aware that happiness is precious for life”.

The man was startled but continued his search for another 30 minutes and the effort was futile. Having got exhausted he asked the sage “Can you tell where did your ring fall? Do you remember the area roughly so that we can focus the search instead of searching everywhere in the garden”? The man though he was a wise businessman after all.

The sage instantly replied “Yes. I remember. I kept it in the pooja room before I went for my shower today”.

Businessman got angry “Swamiji, are you making a fool of me? Why would you search in the garden when you kept the ring inside the hermitage?”

Sage smiled and replied calmly “Because, you are searching for your happiness everywhere when the happiness is abundantly there inside you”.

The businessman understood the message very well and lived happy thereafter.

We are the reason for our happiness or for the lack of it, not someone else or the lack of something else. HAPPINESS IS A STATE OF MIND.

Abundant happiness is there inside each one of us.  We just have to polish our glass to see and feel the happiness. We have to train our mind to see and feel happiness in anything and everything in our life.

For those of you who are searching for happiness in your life, please remember:

• There is no shortage of happiness. It is just that you have not seen the abundance.
• Happiness is a precious treasure. Feel cheerful and share the happiness because it only increases by sharing it unlike other commodities.
• Happiness is in your hands (minds) and not in what happens to you. 

I narrated the story of Thomas Alva Edison quipping excitedly to his son when his factory was getting reduced to ashes in front of his own eyes in my book and hence don’t want to repeat the story here. Thought provoking story. Read my book GRANDMA IN THE BOARDROOM #GIBR (Available for purchase in all amazon stores and www.authorjaganathan.com).