Twenty three hundred years ago my friend…
Aristotle…
Concluded that,
“More than anything else, men and women seek happiness”.
Think about this…
Every goal we pursue…whether fame, money or power…is pursued and valued only because we expect that it will make us happy.
Much has changed since the Ancient times.
Our understanding of the world has expanded beyond belief. Atoms, the mind, the universe…History has never looked so ridiculous.
The Greek Gods…Religion…not to mention the earth being flat.
And yet…
After thousands of years…
Happiness is still a mystery…
We still do not understand what happiness is…
We are no closer to understanding happiness even after all the clues Aristotle left us.
As for learning how to attain this euphoric peace, one could argue that we have made no progress at all.
Today with science, we are healthier and grow to be older…
But are we living?
Are we destined to remain unfulfilled…each person always wanting more and more.
Are we seeking happiness in the wrong places?
Happiness 2.0
After 40 years of battle…struggle…and fighting the good fight, this is what I discovered.
Happiness is not something you search for…
Is not something that happens…
Is not something you find in another country, person or on the soccer field…
It is not the result of luck…money or the stars aligning.
It definitely has nothing to do with power.
It does not depend on outside events…
But rather…
On how we interpret things!
Happiness is all about the meaning…
The meaning you attach to things…
Happiness is a condition you must prepare and cultivate yourself.
We cannot reach happiness by searching for it.
Viktor Frankl, the Austrian psychologist and holocaust survivor said it best in his book, “Man’s search for meaning”.
“Don’t aim at success-the more you aim at it and make it a target, the more you are going to miss it.
For success, like happiness, cannot be pursued; it must ensue…as the unintended side effect of one’s personal dedication to a course greater than oneself”
Our perception about life is the outcome of many forces…some evil…some not so evil.
Most of these forces are outside of our control. We cannot change our looks, our parents or even our genes.
But what we can change is this…
When your child is having a bad day on the green pastures…
When your anger and frustrations are about to boil over…
When the score line reads 5-0 and your son is probably worst on ground…
Think back to that glorious day in hospital when the doctor placed him in your hands…think back to the first step and the first time he mumbled, “I love you.”
Just think how lucky you are to have a healthy child that thinks the world of you…
All of a sudden, for that split second…that feeling in your heart…and the desire to be the best dad in the world…
That’s happiness.
Happiness is a choice…the same way you choose to attend kids soccer.
“May the winds of destiny blow you to the stars”
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