Happiness: My Hot Air Balloon

“He who has a why to live for can bear almost any how.”

― Friedrich Nietzsche

Happiness is making others happy,as well as making our own selves happy.It’s not merely a constant seeking.It’s more,a constant giving.It is also a sense of perspective .Perspective that is centered in a value-enhancing context.

We all deal with life through a very personal filter.It is called the “constant self-life estimate”.This is the personal evaluation we have of our life.It is a complex  mishmash of  our  constant assessments;how strong,how confident,how capable,how loving ,how lovable,how valuable,worthy, and more importantly-how happy we are.

Yet it is significant to note that this estimate is constant but not final. Our “constant self-life estimate”is a byproduct of  our experiences, our interpretations of them,and the final storage in memory.

Just,for a moment,can we liken happiness to a hot air balloon?Here’s what that implies;we must keep filling it with meaningful references constantly .So that it remains airborne.Happiness means  precisely that;being uplifted constantly. With a willing amount of effort.And that,precisely is our own responsibility.Nobody else’s.

Here’s some bait for fishing around in the pool of happiness……….

1.Thanking the routine is a blessing in disguise.Have I stopped and thanked the Cosmos for something that I like,but which is routine,and ordinary?Can I have the gift of “taking for not-granted”?

2.Do I thank my health or only reflect over it when something is amiss. Can I think of ten things about my health that could go wrong, but which is not. Have I given thanks to the universe for this blessing?Do I cynically dismiss practices such as these because they are “Pollyanna”?

3.How much happiness do I gain from my relationships? Because the it is the ugly that often enhances the of value of the beautiful;have I felt good about my relationships? Even the unpleasant ones?

4. Which event of my life has given me maximum happiness till now?Which one is next?Can I feel thankful about these things at least once a day? Write down ten great things about these events.

5.What are some of the extremely important experiences I have had so far in life;which have framed my references for defining happiness?Can I list at least 5 such experiences that have increased my happiness?Can I list some more?

6.Happiness is the byproduct of calmness.To value my happiness,have I built the strength to meet  life circumstances with a calm mind,irrespective of the level of relative “noise” in the outside world?

7.Have I connected to my physical self as I feel happy,and positive  in life.Do I feel good about my physical body frequently?

8.Do  I laugh often?Do I value my laughter?Do I have a laughter schedule? When was the last time I laughed, and what do I  laugh at usually?

9.If I could help someone to be happy in their distress what would I do for them?What would I advise them?

10.When was the last time I felt happy and excited about an event or person in my life?

11.Do I know the importance of enthusiasm and energy in life? Have I done anything to raise my energy levels? How many things do I feel enthusiastic about?

12.What kind of news-n-info do I habitually feel interested in?Positive, uplifting news-n-info?Or the more fashionable “realistic” negative,distressing stuff?What kind of news-n-info do I choose to spread around,between the two?What is the impact of the habitual news-n-info on my attitude to life?

13.How many time have I helped people in my life without expecting reward or acknowledgement?Do I have a plan for daily altruism?Do I value making others happy?

14.Am I proactive about service to others?Or do I only do it when it is incidentally possible?Do I have a plan for reaching out to others and helping them to be happy?Do I think brushing my teeth is more important ,or helping and making others happy?Or do I consider both equally important?What is the proof in my life?

15.How grateful and happy am I about selfless help that I  received from others?Do I even acknowledge it?Do I remember it?Do I value it?What about selfless help received from parents?Siblings?Friends?Office/business Associates?

16.How happy do I usually feel about my past?All the incidents and relationships in the past?What do I habitually notice and tell myself about my past?How do I relate to my past?Do I feel I have an excessive share of happy memories?Or unhappy memories?Is it an irreversible process ?

17.The way I relate to my past;how is it influencing my present focus,and possibly my future?

18.What is the one thing I feel extremely passionate and happy about in my life?Have I focused on it enough?What interest(s) do I feel immensely engrossing and uplifting?Have I honestly done enough to enhance the value of my experience in that direction?

19.What is my usual self opinion about myself, overall?Do I feel just okay mostly ?Good mostly?Great mostly?Fabulous mostly?Can these feelings be altered in my lifetime?If so,when will that great day/moment  suddenly come?What is my role,my responsibility in enhancing my “constant self-life estimate”?What have I dome about it?

20.How much is happiness important in my life? Have I quantified its importance for myself?Have I inquired into the difference between happiness and pleasure for myself?

21.What is the connotation of happiness and pleasure for me?Are they the same ?Are they closely related?Are they separate?

22.Do I understand that correct comprehension of concepts alters the value of life experience as well,including happiness?

23.Five or ten years back how happy was I ?Has my happiness increased over time?Or is it stagnant?Or is it less?If less, or stagnant then who,what is responsible?What next after I fix responsibility?

24. On my index of personal happiness ,where do I see myself five years,or ten years from today?Do I think this is significant?Or just befitting  some lazy afternoon reading?

25. All good ,valuable things merit constant, caring attention.Like brushing teeth everyday.Have I honestly done enough to constantly fill my balloon of happiness? Or have I been leaking out more air than letting in?