WHAT YOU GIVE IS WHAT YOU GET
Let me begin with the blog by examining what gives us sustained happiness.
Whenever we get something that we didn’t expect to receive, we are typically overjoyed. Similarly when we don’t get what we desire we feel sad. This constant swing from a state of happiness to a state of despair or frustration is all because of our expectations. So then, Is happiness about having lots of material possessions and fulfillment of our expectations? Is it about having a loving family that more or less acts as you expect? Or is it something more?
Don’t get me wrong. I am not advocating an ascetic life. Nor am I suggesting that we should not be having aspirations and strive towards them. But in our relentless pursuit of this happiness we cruise along rarely pausing for a moment to reflect. We keep on accumulating in the hope that more and more of material possessions will make us more and more happy. But, in this constant pursuit and we go through life as if it’s a race to be won and this results in a yo-yo state of mind. Never contented with no matter how much we get, we feel we deserve more. And to top thet we compare ourselves and are fixated on keeping up with Jones’.
This continuous chase certainly gives happiness but they tend to be transient. When we achieve a goal we are happy but its fleeting as we immediately set our next goal!
So, these questions come to my mind:
- How can we maintain a steady state of happiness?
- How can we make a living and have a life too?
- How can we align our aspirations with a higher purpose for life?
To begin with we need to learn to be contented with what we get. Well, if we didn’t get fixated on our expectations, we wouldn’t despair as we will have the maturity to accept the outcome. This is also a core teaching of Srimad Bhagavad Gita. So, in order to be in a state of happiness, we need to perform our actions to our utmost ability and accept the outcome as it unfolds. Our worrying about the results is not going to change the outcome.
Have an Attitude of Gratitude
It is also important that we take a moment to thank for what we have and acknowledge how blessed we are. Gratitude and contentment (not complacency) is a first step towards happiness!
It is quintessential to have an attitude of gratitude and it is a vital ingredient in providing us with a feeling of contentment and happiness. Imagine if you were the God and you blessed your follower regularly and no matter what you gave, if he/she never thanked you for it but kept on asking for more. How would you feel? Would that make you give more or make you think that what an ungrateful and avaricious person is this? You are more likely to say no matter what I give, this person, he/she is never going to be satisfied? Now do you see my point on why it’s important to pause and express your gratitude?
If you are not grateful for what you already have – no matter how insignificant you think it is – you will never be ‘content’. If you keep chasing targets without taking a step back and begin to get paranoid about results, even a small upset can be debilitating.
Such a life is filled with momentary happiness and periods of sadness. Hence, Gratitude is a very essential part of our life. When we start counting our blessings and begin to acknowledge all the good things in our life, we begin to recognise how blessed we are. And what better way is there than to express this gratitude by helping the less fortunate amongst us struggling for every day needs. Remember, what goes around comes around.
Why Giving can be such a fulfilling experience?
\Giving is such a wonderful thing, an act that gives joy to the receiver as well as the giver. Most of us contribute to various social causes and charities while some of us may even have a few causes that we support passionately. Our contribution varies as it’s not just about material things In some cases it can take the form of our time spent or kind words to someone in distress or we may share our knowledge with someone. All of that is giving too.
Don’t we feel really good when that happens? The joy and fulfilment of that selfless act of giving is unparalleled. It has the power to uplift the soul! And finally, great men forsake their pleasures to support the small men not because they wanted the glory but because they accept that all men were born equal but with different abilities. I would love to see everyone coming together not minding their religion or social status and working together as One…living in love peace and harmony. We can begin to make a small difference by taking that first step as the journey of a thousand miles begins with a single step!
I seek your support to assist us in our first step towards creating communities where each one gets an opportunity to get ahead in life and realise their dreams. I will conclude this note by leaving you with this thought:
“Do what you can, with what you have, and no effort is too small”