Walking on sunshine - how to be happy and stay that way

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The secret to happiness lies in perspective. While we may know what we want in life, expectations often lead to unnecessary challenges; we focus more on who the world wants us to be rather than who we want to be.

So, where does it begin?

Growing up, we are told to be successful in life. We must have a good job and earn a decent salary to provide for ourselves, our partners and our children.

We’re also told that we should be married by a certain age and expected to start a family soon after marriage.

Then, we spend our time and energy working towards achieving those expectations.

However, when one little thing is missing or does not fall into place, we become unhappy and start thinking life is complicated.

One study has suggested that if we focus on our pursuit of happiness, we tend to avoid experiencing it on our journey there.

When we remove those expectations from life and begin to appreciate what we have rather than focus on what’s lacking, we allow ourselves to see how beautiful life can be.

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If we continue linking happiness to success, we chase material things.

Success and happiness are mutually exclusive factors in life. Happiness comes from within, not from what you have achieved.

Therefore, here are my key to happiness. It lies in the following:

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- Detaching myself from expectations

- Appreciating the little things in life

- Knowing your worth and value yourself

- Learning to have a positive outlook on life

- Attaching yourself to God and spirituality

Ultimately, finding something to be grateful for in everyday life can help make you feel more positive and give you a peaceful mind which is the secret to happiness.

Ending on a positive note, here is a reminder from the Bhagwad Gita, “happiness is a state of mind, that has nothing to do with the external mind”.

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