Who doesn’t want to be happy in life? Happiness is the most pursued goal in anybody’s life. But where to look for it, and what to do? We have many examples of people around us who might be very wealthy or with celebrity status but still aren’t happy. Because happiness is not in some material possessions, financial position or even your status in society. Wisdom is knowing that happiness is already inside us, we just have to look deep within us and make a choice to remain happy. Take some time out of your seemingly busy life and think what makes you happy.

Looking at the scope of this writing only some of the essentials of happy life could be summarized here.

1. Passion – Do what you Love

Passion is the intense emotion which gives you the fuel, the energy to perform with great enthusiasm what you’ve always wanted to do, to live the life you are born to live. You can never be happy unless whatever you do, you do with passion. It covers all dimensions of one’s life whether they are concerning relations, intellect or occupation. When you have passion, life moves to an entirely different level of fulfillment and satisfaction. Passion allows one to weather the storms of life no matter how hard they are.

As Maya Angelou said “My mission in life is not merely to survive, but to thrive; and to do so with some passion, some compassion, some humor and some style.”

2. Love and Gratitude

Love is a strong feeling of affection, a great interest and pleasure in something. Most people seek its expression in romantic relationships but there are many kinds of love. Love may be kinship or feeling of familiarity, friendship, romantic or divine Love. Love is unselfish loyal and benevolent concern for the good of others. If there is only one great happiness in life, it is to love and be loved.

“Love and compassion are necessities, not luxuries. Without them humanity cannot survive.” – Dalai lama

3. Courage – Face the Challenges

Courage is strength in the face of pain and the ability to do something that frightens others. It is to act in accordance with one’s beliefs, in spite of criticism. Courage is a choice, a decision to pursue one’s dreams and make them come true. In life one will face defeats, challenges and difficult times, and only courage to face all these will take one across these. If true happiness comes from fulfillment of heart’s desires then one will require to develop a lot of courage because life will keep on throwing hurdles your way and you need to keep emerging a winner, and if you fail, remember what Robert G. Ingersoll said “The greatest test of courage on earth is to bear defeat without losing heart.”

4. Spirituality – Know Yourself

Spirituality is the quality of being concerned with the human spirit or soul as opposed to material things. Spirituality is search for the meaning of life and the ways to connect with something bigger than ourselves. Sometimes people confuse spirituality with religion, which it is not. Religion is attached to practices whereas spirituality is looking inside oneself. Studies have found that people who prioritize spiritual, altruistic or family goals over material successes are a lot happier. True happiness comes to one who realizes that we are all one at some level. Spirituality tells us what we can or cannot control, it allows people to learn to experience gratitude. A spiritual mind is never disturbed under any circumstances, and remain equipoise d in Happiness and Distress. Therefore he is always calm, quiet and patient. Spirituality teaches one that he is beyond this material body and is thus freed from the conception of false ego.

5. Be a Giver, not a Taker

There is a Chinese saying that goes: “If you want happiness for an hour, take a nap. If you want happiness for a day, go fishing. If you want happiness for a year, inherit a fortune. If you want happiness for a lifetime, help somebody.” Yet today most of us are busy struggling to find happiness in gathering up achievements, spending money and running after the physical goods. When we help someone we develop a relation with them and have a sense of fulfillment, and helping does not means to help in money matters only but all gestures, may be small like helping someone in chores or to stand with them at times of difficulty. Giving gives you purpose and a purpose driven life makes one happy. Helping others will only serve to open your world in so many ways  you can not even imagine and make you a lot more happy.

As Winston Churchill once said, “We make a living by what we get; we make a life by what we give.”

6. Optimism – Think Positive

Optimism is hopefulness and confidence about the future or the success of something. Optimism is the attitude of positive thinking and belief that you only are responsible for your happiness. The quality to see good in everything and trust that more good things are going to happen in future though you may not see them right now. Hope is the single biggest emotion that keeps us marching ahead. Optimism takes no account of present and depends on how one can visualize her/his future and enables them to hold their head high during difficult moments. When life hits you hard, Optimism only can lift you up by feeding your brain that the circumstances are temporary, local and changeable. If you approach life with a sense of hope and optimism, you are more likely to have great possibilities realized and positive results.

“Optimism is the faith that leads to achievement. Nothing can be done without hope and confidence.” – Helen Keller

7. Grow – Find your Purpose

Continuous growth and lifelong learning are what separate people who sustain their effectiveness from those who do not. Develop your insights about yourself and your areas of growth. Progress and growth keep people satisfied and hopeful for life and make them happy. In difficult times too one needs to embrace pain and struggle because with these come growth and happiness.

In William Butler Yeats’ words, “Happiness is neither virtue nor pleasure nor this thing nor that, but simply growth, we are happy when we are growing.”

Every aspect of human life is governed by a number of emotions and feelings, but happiness is a prime feeling  which makes one’s life worth living. It is a choice that comes from within, and we ourselves are responsible for it. No one or nothing, however precious in the material world can make us feel happy about ourselves.

Everybody exists, but only few live. Let’s be the few!