Finding Happiness And Learning To Be Happy Are Much Easier Than You Think

Here are two powerful stories from the past, from when I was in high school (I guess), that I fortunately recalled today, when I had writer’s block. God bless my memory.

The Balloon Exercise

Everyone wishes to find happiness in their lives. The pursuit of true contentment is at the core of everyone’s ambitions, regardless of our circumstances or the card we are dealing with.

In a seminar about life and happiness, many participants had gathered and were eagerly waiting for the speaker to tell them how to be happy in their lives.

Answers to two key questions were about to be revealed. One was how to find happiness and the second was where to even begin looking for it?

The event started and the participants were taught some mundane stuff that is usually taught in such seminars.

Suddenly, the speaker stopped speaking and gave each person a red balloon. He asked everyone to write their name on their balloon with a pen. He then collected all the balloons and took them to another room.

The participants were then let inside the room full of red balloons and were asked to find the balloon with their name on it. They were given exactly 5 minutes for the task.

Everyone was frantically searching for the balloon with their name on it. They pushed each other, jumped over balloons that were not theirs, and collided with each other. There was phenomenal chaos in the room.

As all the balloons were red and the task was timed, no one, literally not a single person found his/her balloon. They returned to the other room empty-handed, sad and disappointed.

Then they were instructed to go to the room where the red balloons were and pick up a balloon at random and present it to the individual whose name was written on it.

Everyone was holding the balloon with their name on it within five minutes.

This is exactly what is happening in our lives, said the speaker.

Everyone is desperately hunting for happiness everywhere, but no one knows where to find it.

Our happiness is found in the happiness of others. Give them their happiness, and you will receive your own.

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The Coffee Cup Story

A group of students decided to pay a visit to an old university professor from a long time ago. As decided, they were with their most favorite professor. Initially, they were chatting about happy things in life. But their conversation quickly turned into complaints about their stressful jobs and equally stressful lives.

The professor went to his kitchen and returned with a large pot of coffee and a collection of cups made of porcelain, plastic, glass, and crystal, some ordinary ones, some expensive ones, and some very expensive exotic-looking ones. The professor told them they could have as much coffee as they wanted.

After everyone had a cup of coffee in their hands, the professor said, “Have you noticed that all of the nice-looking cups have been taken, leaving only the plain, affordable ones? While it is natural for everyone to want the best for themselves, this is the source of your problems and stress.”

“The expensive cup itself has no effect on the quality of the coffee. In most cases, it is simply more expensive and anyway conceals what we drink, “ the professor went on.

“What you all truly wanted was coffee, not the cup, but you all went for good-looking, costly cups and then started examining each other’s cups.”

“Consider life to be the coffee, and jobs, houses, vehicles, money, and other materialistic possessions to be the cups.

The type of cup we have has no bearing on the quality of our life.”

We sometimes miss out on enjoying coffee because we are so focused on the cup in front of us. Being content does not imply that everything around you is flawless.

It signifies you’ve resolved to look past the flaws and find peace and contentment. And the tranquility you seek is within you, not in your career, place of work, the price of your car, or the size of your home.

• Thank you for reading.
• Love, Peace, and Bliss

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