Last Updated on April 20, 2020

What is happiness? The Holy Grail of humankind since Neanderthal. The Fata Morgana we can never catch (or can we?). Happiness is one of the things we never get enough of, no matter how much we have and no matter what definition we give it.

I never heard anybody pretending being happy an entire life. Moments yes, but not a lifetime. Perhaps that’s because happiness is such an intense feeling that no human body can sustain it for so long. I don’t know. Nevertheless, I think I found a few simple rules for lots of happy life moments:

1. Take the others as they are. Don’t try to change people around you, because nobody ever changes, unless they feel like doing so. Instead of making your friends unhappy because they are not able to live up to your standards, try to adjust your way of looking at them, try to accept their way, and enjoy the good things you saw in them from the very beginning (before becoming friends, there was a kind of attraction between you, wasn’t it?)
2. Indulge yourself. I know people who wouldn’t forgive themselves for making even the smallest mistake. They think and re-think the moments, blaming themselves, getting angry and frustrated, thus not being able to enjoy the present moment. The frustration comes from the fact that they cannot travel back in time to do things right. If you cannot fix things anyway, what’s the use of accusing yourself and punishing you ever and ever again? Get over the past and live your life!
3. Smile. Research has shown that smiling and feeling good work both ways. If you feel good, you’ll smile, right? Well, our body is strange, it seems that it has the power to influence the mind: so, if you smile, you’ll immediately feel better. Besides, you’ll have a positive effect on people around you: seeing you smiling, they will tend to smile back to you, thus contributing to a good atmosphere.
4. Respect yourself. You are your most valuable asset, so make sure you take good care of your soul. Don’t do things which don’t fit into your life philosophy. Don’t give you reasons to hate yourself later on.
5. Respect the others. It is not always true that you get what you give, but if you give lack of respect, you’ll get it back for sure.
6. Live the moment. Don’t wait for the most proper time to do something you wish to. Do it now, because the proper moment never comes. There is always something more to wait for, so you’ll end up old or dead and burried before you even notice that your moment never came. Do you want to learn how to play the piano? Don’t wait until you’ll have more time. Make yourself some time, find a place in your schedule and go take piano classes. Do you want to write in your blog every day? Just sit down and write. You’ll see that time will be there for you when you need it.
7. Give. Whatever you can, be it knowledge, money, old clothes or even a phone call to a lonely person, just make sure you give something every day. This will make you feel like a good person. Helping is in the human nature, so why not following our giving impulse? There are many people who are in need for your help, that you’ll never be refused if you know how to look for those people.

Each of us is unique, but I believe we all share some things, and seeking happiness is one of them. Which is your way of seeking happiness? How do you know when you found it?