What makes you happy really?
A lot of people tell me that they will be happy when they earn their first million.
Some tell me they will be happy once they they lose weight and achieve that perfect figure!
Others tell me they will be happy once they are married and have children.
Yet others tell me they will only be happy when they are successful and famous!
I guess most people will only be happy when they reach their goals in life. So in other words, we are all always striving to reach that state of being happy.
Have you ever wondered why we work so hard? Well, for the majority of us, we work hard for the money.
But why do we need to have money? Besides being able to buy food, pay our house loans and other necessities in life, we can buy things we like. And why would we want those things so much? Probably because they help us accomplish certain things in life or we want to look cool.
But why do we want to accomplish those things? Why do we want to look cool? Keep questioning yourself and you'll find that the real reason is because that would make you happy. You see, it all boils down to this craving for that state of happiness.
Now don't get me wrong. There is nothing wrong in pursuing our dreams and our goals.
But if it is really happiness that you are after, why go through all the troubles? Since happiness is just a state of your conscious mind, don't you think you can simply 'choose' to be happy?
As ridiculous as this may sound to you, don't you think that you can just sit back, do nothing and be happy?
Why go through all the hard work to reach your destination when you can actually arrive at your destination now?
Believe me, there are people who have already achieved this - they are the reclusive yogis, who choose to do nothing and be happy.
I guess it's not easy for us to do that because all our lives, we have been conditioned to work hard in order to achieve our dreams. And then and only then, would we be satisfied and be happy.
But here's the problem. That happiness will not last very long. For very soon, we will be craving for more, for that next step because as humans, we always want to progress.
Funny Pictures
And so, people will continue to strive for that elusive happiness all their lives, wondering why do they feel so empty after having achieved so many things in life. You see, searching for happiness outside of you is an illusion. Because happiness is found within.
You already have happiness inside you. Be happy NOW. No matter what circumstances in your life right now, you can choose to be happy. IT'S YOUR CHOICE.
Why not be happy even as you continue to strive for your goals and dreams? You don't need to be happy only AFTER you have achieved them. As they say, success is a journey not a destination.
If there is a really good time to be happy, the time is NOW.
You can choose to be happy. Right this minute.
Have a happy weekend, everyone! : )
FIRST COMMENTER
Must be first! Ahaks!
YAY! Finally FIRST in foong's blog! Wooohoo!
We can be happy anytime we want... it doesn't have to mean that we need to reach our goal first then we can be happy.
Even the simplest thing can mean we are happy. Like getting a smile, getting a surprise call from a friend that have lost touch for some time, having your favorite meal etc...
We don't need to wait until we have achieve our goal like earn the first million to be happy. Happiness comes from within :).
See like now... I am happy! Finally FC in foogn's blog! Hahahah!
Happy spamming away now too! Not everyday I get to be first here and it shows my first few comments!
Though some happiness don't last all long... but what makes us think that earning the first million, losing weight, etc... will mean the happiness will last right? :P
You will be happy if you are happy regardless what it takes to be happy :).
(and here I am blabbing away bleh~)
wow ladyviral is extremely fast hahaha
i definitely agree with this... well i guess we are all looking for happiness...the true happiness...
Money is just an instrument and what can you buy from your money are those material things only... You might be satisfied physically and mentally but not spiritually. coz for me, happiness is always associated with God... Love him more than anything else and you'll see what happiness really is^^
have a great day Foong
Hehe... it's easier said than done.
I am a Buddhist. I already know how to be happy - live in here-and-now; no remorse over the past; no longing for future... But my mind doesn't listen to me.
We do need to do something - that's to train our mind. That's exactly what the reclusive yogis do...
good blog!!! i agree with you..we can choose to be happy or not....but dont listen to yogis...they usually died alone and penniless hahahhahha
You sounded like Eckhart Tolle. :P
Yes I'm trying to live in the NOW. But sometimes difficult. Mind can stray to the past and future.
As long as people crave for things, they will never truly be happy.
As for me, it's Friday and I'm always happy on Friday! LOL!
Happy weekend pal!
Ooh I'm happy already after reading this post. :) I'm also happy my husband gave me a lovely surprise yesterday! Happy :)
Oh I'm also happy because today is FRIDAY!! Woohoo! Long lunch plus weekend ahead. What's not to be happy about? :P
foong, ur blog ah! so unbelievable lah.. just a few minutes after publishing a post.. millions of comments are in already!!!
and I'm happy just by looking at that huge smiley in this post today. happy weekend foong! :)
very inspirational :)
i know the theory of being happy - just that it is easier to be said than done.
i learnt one thing though - life is easier for the easy going and non-perfectionist :D
"Money is not everything. But everything needs money". To go for a leak you need to pay 30sen in shopping complex and some charges RM2, behind trees its FOC. It's your choice. Live in moderation by following the middle path. Have a great weekend foongpc.
yes, i agree with that saying, our ultimate goal in life is to achieve happiness..
and all those health, wealth, beauty, success, glory etc etc are just substances, at that time then called goals, to help you achieve happiness..
we will have different type of goals in different stages, and that is also spelling how differently we will feel happy about them..
but what really is the ultimate happiness?? perhaps we might not know yet..
you have a happy weekend too dude!! :)
Good morning Foong, I saw ur tweet but too late la huhuhu!
Cause just woke up mah!
Let's see... so many thing will make me happy...
Good health....
1 million USD!
And right now I would love a vakasi and a new house!
How? Asking too much is it? LOL!
Btw, abt that CL thingy....sometimes like dat one Foong... I oso have to refresh at certain blogs sometimes before can see CL....
Dunno why oso...silly CL lol!
Anyway happy weekend to you, it's Fri my fave day! :)
Wah ladyviral FC here oso!! Hi Ladyviral!!
I am happy even though I am going thru ups and downs right now :)
Happy weekend!
Hahaha! hi Mariuca!
Well, guess it has been my lucky days for being FC. haha! ;)
yup..so true..happiness takes time ...
ladyviral, Congratulations!!! Finally!!! You are FC here! Ooh, I'm so excited! : )
ladyviral, yes we can be happy over the simplest things! Well, I am happy that you are happy! And I'm happy you are finally FC here. Woo hoo! : )
bluedreamer27, yeah you are 2nd! Not too bad! Haha!
Good to know you are happy and loving God. Have a great day, blue! : )
Hahaha foong! Happy for me?! Oh yes I am definitely excited too! Finally, FC here! I wonder if I will get it again next time hahaha!
Omg you put my picture up! Gasps!
Why not my beautiful red new avatar? >.<
khengsiong, yeah, train your mind and you shall be enlightened : )
manglish, that's right it's our own choice to be happy or otherwise! Not sure about yogis, but I sure don't need to be one to be happy! : )
che-cheh, me sounded like Eckhart Tolle? Wow! I'll take that as a compliment! Haha! Btw, I love to read Tolle's books. Very inspiring.
Yeah, the mind is our best friend as well as our biggest enemy. The person who can control his mind controls the world. Well, I guess everytime our mind stray to the past or future, we just have to cancel the thoughts and bring ourselves back to the present. The Now all that matters : )
nick phillips, haha! I guess most people are happy on Fridays! : )
iamthewitch, wow! What surprise did Saucer gave you? Please tell me, please tell me! : )
merryn, haha! Maybe some people stalking lah! Haha! Glad you like the big Smiley! Happy weekend to you too! : )
xin, yes life is easier and definitely happier for the easy going person and the non perfectionist! Well, just remind yourself to be happy everyday and it becomes easier as time passes! Try it! : )
cheahs@n, I agree money is not everything but then not everything needs money! The air is free! The chirping of birds are free! The beautiful sunshine and the glorious rain is free! Enjoy them and be grateful and be happy!! Have a great weekend to you too : )
SK, the ultimate happiness is probably when we are of the highest awareness of who we really are.
Have a great weekend yes? : )
mariuca, ooh, just woke up? Oh no missed my tweet! Well never mind, next time yes? : )
1 million USD makes you happy? New house? haha! I know you've been talking about that! No, no, you are not asking too much! Ask as much as you want, but just be happy when you are asking! Haha!
Thanks for confirming about the cL. OK, at least I know it's nothing wrong at my side. Good!
Yeah it's Friday! Everybody's fav day! Hehe
mei teng, that's the right attitude! Yes! Glad you are happy no matter what! : )
kitkat, be happy always yes? : )
I can be pleased quite easily. For me, there's no time to waste on all those worries! So why cry over 'em? :)
** I just realise that u're a guy! HAHA. Although I'm new to ur blog, I've seen you leaving comments on other blogs and I always thought that you're a female! 'Scuse me, ahem. Must be that cute panda avatar of yours for misleading me into this silly assumption! :P
And oh, in case u've made the same assumption on me, I'm a guy. :)
And oh ya, I'm a MC fan too!!! Though not as *crazy* as you r! :)
ladyviral, of course I'm happy for you! I know you've waited a long time for this! Haha!
Are you on Twitter? Come follow me on Twitter cos I usually announce my next upcoming post on Twitter. Hehe
About your photo, since you already revealed your face to the world, what's wrong with putting your face here? Haha! But if you don't like, I will use your avatar next time. Actually, I like to use different pictures every time, not so boring mah! Haha!
kyh, what?! You are a guy? Haha! Yeah, a lot of people think I'm a gal. But that panda is actually a male panda!! Don't people recognize it's Jing Jing, that cute panda mascot from 2008 Beijing Olympics?
Who knows, maybe I blog like a gal. Well....
You are a MC fan too? Yay! Gimme 5! : )
Oh yes I have! I was always like a little bit late! Today I am finally on the nick of time hahahahaha! *evil laughter*
Twitter? Nope :/ Somehow I am not into Twitting :P.
Hahah foong... well, revealed is one thing :P Having it on other people's blog FC is another thing haha!
Also that isn't a really good picture of me mar. But honestly, I usually prefer a low profile of how I look like haha. I revealed cause so many people demanded. I am nice like that mar ;P. But who knows maybe I will remove those picture one day? o_o;
Besides! I am SHY >____<
ladyviral, so do you want me to remove your photo and replace with your avatar? It's not a problem : )
I believe happiness is over-hyped. Like others, happiness is neutral. You can feel happy about being happy or you can feel otherwise. Unfortunately, people normally associate happiness with material things or when something is acquired when there are lots of other stuff that can give us the satisfaction and peace of mind.
If possible ^_^. I like my avatar better than my own picture >___>
Thank you for letting me change it :D. I am such problematic haha >__<.
that got me into thinking... no wonder u were so brave to wander alone in the soul-less jungle routes of Guilin! while i was reading that, i thought to myself, this *girl* was so adventurously brave! :p
And oh, unless there's a tinge of bimbo-look-at-me-i'm-cute in your blog, then no, there's ntg wrong in ur blogging style.
I didn't even know the names of the beijing olympics mascots! O.O
happysurfer, yes agree with you on that! Happiness should not be associated with material stuffs!
ladyviral, done. Haha! I already have your avatar in my computer so I could change it fast! : )
kyh, so now you know I am not a girl, am I still not brave wandering in that forest alone? Haha! : )
Yay! changed.. see that picture looks so outstanding! So red... so framey! And my name is clearer too hahaha! Whereas "my" picture was so dark and dull :P.
Thanks alot foong haha~
And I just realized I am spamming your post today! Ha! Well, I am free today! So I am here spamming! Hope I am not annoying you already that you keep seeing "ladyviral", "ladyviral" :P
Happiness is "Nowhere" if you are searching from the outside just like the "Acres of Diamonds" story. It's all the time "NOW-HERE" from within you.ക
ladyviral, I love people who spam my blog! Haha! I mean, spam in a nice way lah. Not spam me with products promotions and ads!! I will delete those comments! Otherwise, I never ever delete any of the comments here.
As I said, it's not a problem, so don't worry. But I still prefer your photo. I don't mean that your avatar is not nice, just that a photo is always better than any avatars.
Then again, I talk only. Cos if anyone dares to put my photo up there on their blog, I will surely kill them!! LOL!
bananaz, ooh! Learning some words of wisdom from a banana! Haha! Just kidding here, thanks for your comments! Have a nice weekend! : )
Nice and very thought-provoking entry, bro!
The idea of having more cash is to allow life to have more options. At least you can sack the boss without guilt anytime when you are rich. =p
It's important to have goals in our life. Only can there be meaning and a direction.
You are lucky I don't kill you then! I am not violent! Jing Jing Panda foong so violent!!!! EEEEEE! :P
Besides, why do you have my avatar in your comp?! And my picture too?! How many pictures have you saved up in your comp?! GASPS! STALKER! :P.
Well, I prefer you try to avoid to use my picture hahaha. You can use the beef I have in my recent post! That beef looks good! hahahaha!
Oh and if you want! I can make more of my avatars and email them to you! hahahaha! :P.
hi foong... wow you're such an amazing blogger, you have reached 70+ comments within a few hours... amazing
I'm here to spam your blog since you asked for it! :P
I am a happy person and I feel sad easily too. Human ma..
Bananaz, or more appropriately, happiness is inside of us all the while. We just have to search within ourselves instead of looking elsewhere. If only we would realize it and develop the ground we are standing on before charging off in search of greener pastures.
i tend to forget sad things very fast one....maybe me happy go lucky kind of person...and cheerful guy...
Good post! I give it a thumbs up :p
I have planned to write a post similar to this but seems like I would have to postpone.
2 important aspects here. The freedom to choose how we wanna feel and that happiness has always been within us. cheese!
nice writeup..
i choose to be happy! =D
kenwooi.com
I agree with you bro. happy is a state of mind. :)
For me, happiness is being able to see my family happy and healthy. :) I wanna have kids, watch them grow up and get married etc. You know. :D
I'm happy right now. Are you bro? :p
Anyway have a great weekend. :D
yeah lucky i dont need to buy happiness... i am happpy everyday =p hur hur so i could save the money...and go travel around lol
its a simple concept really.
why frown when you can smile, and instantly feel the gratification deep inside you?
whatever comes, take it lightly. life's full of challenges. don't compare with others.
Whenever you get something significant, something else is taken away. - Principle of Equivalent Exchange.
we only live once so just be happy no matter what..
Hey Foong! oh I m a happy-go-lucky person who is in a good mood most of the time..hohoho :-D
being happy is something that everybody strives for, but being happy doesn't always come easy...
enjoy yr weekend Foong! :)
it's true that we can choose to be happy but it's not easy...
and sometimes... when ure just having a bad day or down in d dumps, it's hard to sum up the happiness.. or choose to be happy
Great article. Yup, having one million bucks or achieving that slender figure or getting married doesn't guarantee happiness.
One may have one million dollars or ringgit or pounds or Euros, but they could be having problems elsewhere. One may be thin but so what? Ah, there are countless other examples!
I don't think that happiness is a destination either. To me, I believe that the journey itself contains happiness. The journey is happiness. The destination is just something extra, a bonus.
Nowadays, people like to complain. Including me. But sometimes when we look back and think back of our problems, they aren't so bad at all. We learn from past mistakes and those mistakes shape us into who we are today.
Things happen for a reason, that's something I feel strongly about too. :)
I always believe if you choose to be happy, no one will be able to make you sad.
Kekeke.. He got me new extended lenses for LX3!! Didn't know they exist until recently. :P Check my blog soon to see if there's any difference. Haha..
"i am happy not based on material or where i stand or what i achieve. i am happy because that is what i am feeling now." at least that is what happiness is for me. :)
leave this comment from Celebrity Fitness while waiting for witch, let's go for dinner together soon!
I have so much reasons to be happy now =)
Stay happY!
by the way have you watched Pursuit of Happiness? You might like it.
shingo T, thanks! It's true that having goals will give our lives more meaning and direction. How about if I make being happy my goal in life? : )
ladyviral, wah! You sound violent! Haha! Anyway, I've resolved this weeks ago. Haha, this is very late reply to your comments here : )
bluedreamer27, thanks for the compliment but I think you are an amazing blogger yourself! So many blogs under you - I certainly can't beat that! : )
kyh, haha! You are welcome anytime! : )
molly, yeah, we have time to be happy and time to be sad - just try to limit the sad times : )
happysurfer, you are absolutely right! : )
vialentino, it's good to be happy go lucky person - life is much more fun! Glad you are that type of person! : )
bravebear, thanks! Oh do write a post about this topic! Would love to read about it : )
kenwooi, yes CHOOSE to be happy! It's a wise choice! : )
tekkaus, yes happiness is a state of the mind so we can choose to be happy : )
fufu, I'm sure you are so happy traveling all over the world! : )
J2Kfm, you are right there! Life is full of challenges. Be happy while facing those challenges yes? :)
the envoy, that's deep. Let me think about that. Thanks for dropping by! : )
wenn, yes just be happy no matter what : )
monica, you are a happy go lucky person? Oh, I like to be surrounded by people like you!! Haha.
goingkookies, it's not easy, I agree but it's not impossible because it's all about choice : )
josette, agree that things always happen for a reason. So accept it and go with the flow! Why resist right? Just be happy always! : )
eiling lim, you are right there! No one can make you sad if you already choose to be happy! Because happiness is your own choice and is not dependent on other people! Well said : )
iamthewitch, will check your blog for the difference! : )
levian, yes feel happiness now! : )
haiseong, we just did! Haha! OK, my reply here a bit late - like should have replied to this 2 weeks ago! : )
ayie, have not watched Pursuit Of Happiness? It's good? OK, will look out for it : )
It's good and very touching...so inspirational.