Happiness NOW

I am currently reading a really great book by Andrew Mathews, Happiness NOW. 

It contains a few chapters, consisting of all great subtopics provided with cartoon illustrations. It's an awesome book which I highly recommended to all to read, regardless of who you are.

This book is borrowed from my boss, who is someone of a great personality and traits. I wonder how she gets so positive in her daily life. Someone so motivated like her must have been keeping up to something motivating, and now I get the idea that she has been reading to all sorts of great books like this one. I am amazed of how little words build up together creating a very good book. So, it is one of the great things about writing. It helps us to understand life better despites its ups and downs.

Just to share something I really like about this book, I hope those who read my writing will get some ideas of what true happiness is. In short, I have concluded what I have learnt from this book as something I really unaware of for all this while - I think it might be the same case to everyone else! So, this is how it goes.

1. We often worry about so many things in our life. We are worried about what is going to happen to us tomorrow, next week, next month.We are worried about what others may think about us.

2. We tend to think about what we DO NOT have rather than appreciating and fully utilized what we DO have now. 

3. We take someone we love for granted, especially our partner.

4. We are just not satisfied with the way we look. 

5. We tend to question 'why' to lots of things that we have gone through,rather than asking 'what'. 

6. We are ungrateful of what God has given us. 

7. We believe that life is unfair. 

8. We feel that no one understands us!

We are just thinking too much. We are not happy with everything.

So, what should we do?

Do we have to stop worrying and thinking?

What will happen to us when we stop everything we used to do?

Here's the answer, to what I have understood.

1. It is perfectly normal to worry over things in our life. But, stop worrying to much. You'll end up feeling more stressed when you worry so much.

So, 

STOP worrying about what is going to happen to you tomorrow, next week, next month. You just have to think about what you are going to do for TODAY and do whatever you can do today to make your day a great day.

STOP worrying about what others will think about you. You can never change what people think, but you can do everything to change yourself.

2. We tend to think about what we DO NOT have rather than appreciating and fully utilized what we DO have now. 

Rather than thinking about what you do not have, start utilizing what you have in your life. Be grateful. 

If you don't have a slim figure, be contented. You can work it out to fit in your favorite dress if you keep up with good diet and exercise.

If you don't have a luxury car, be happy with your small car. As long as you can move with it, it is more than enough. Plus, you don't have to pay much for gas and maintenance. Do you really know how happy those people who have luxuries and how much money they have to spend on maintenance? Do you have any idea how much they have to pay for tax? Do you know how much they have to provide for the security of their belongings? Are you sure they are happy with all that? I bet they don't.

 

3. We take someone we love for granted, especially our partner.

You are always thinking about your current relationship with your partner. You think you deserve better. You believe there is someone who is in the same boat with you, and that you'll find a perfect match soon. Go get yourself a punch! There is no one better that your current soul mate. Look at how long they can stand with you in almost every situation you have. They supported you, they comfort you, they stay with you no matter what. And, they are there everyday. Can you find a better person now? 

4. We are just not satisfied with the way we look. 

You think you are fat, chubby and not attractive. You think you are short and ugly. You don't fit in that pretty clothes the models wear on the fashion show. Go get a new brain!. 

Do you have any idea how jealous they are of us, having to eat almost every dishes in the universe while they have to control every single thing just to maintain their career? Do you know how much time they spend to exercise just to keep to the number on scale?

If you can bear that, just do it. 

Having the chance to do everything you like and eat without having to worry that you are going to lose your job is much more happier than to wonder what life is going to be when you lose your pay - and starve for a lifetime. That is ridiculous.

5. We tend to question 'why' to lots of things that we have gone through,rather than asking 'what'. 

Effective people don't ask why, but what.

When we are in troubles, we often ask "Why me?".

When we get more tasks to do compared to your colleagues, we ask " Why me again?"

When something bad happen when we have enough problem to deal with, we ask "Why now?"

Effective people turn problems, miseries and issues into something constructive.

In troubles, they ask, 

"What can I do to make things right?"

In the most crucial time with heaps of tasks, they will ask, 

" What can I do to settle all these on time?"

In bad times, they ask,

"What do I learn from this?"

6. We are ungrateful of what God has given us.

God has given us the best. So, why are we becoming so ungrateful? 

Can we survive a minute without oxygen? Can we live without the blink of our eyes? Can we survive without water?

If the answer is NO, then you should check how you think about God, because He has given us things beyond our imaginary.

7. We believe that life is unfair. 

Who think that life is fair? No one. Life is always unfair. But you can be fair to yourself. You can't fight with life because life always win. In order to win and enjoy a happy and fair life, be fair to yourself first. Do you give yourself enough to think positively?

8. We feel that no one understands us!

No one will understand us, unless we try to make peace of ourselves.

Do not expect your friend to thank you and return favours if you have done something good to them.

Do not expect others to appreciate you if you have given them something they want.

Do not expect bus, train or plane to arrive on time, either.

It is best to change our thinking rather than changing what the world or other people should be.You'll never be understood if you never want to understand life.

All of the things that I have written here is what I have understood from this great book. I have said things in my own way with the help of this book. I am very pleased to say thank you to the author of this book, Andrew Matthews for simplifying things that are so complicated to understand. A great writer with a outstanding ideas!! I believe a lot of people will become happy when they read his book.

To be happy or not isn't up to everyone else to decide, but us.