I was shocked to the bone when someone said to me that she envies a lot of happy people out there because there is nothing worth being happy about in her life. Her confession made me think deeply about some things in life and I felt the need to share my thoughts on the blockchain because a lot of people feel the same way, but they can't share this feeling with anyone.
Firstly, the gift of life should be one of the things that you put us in a happy mood every morning because not everyone who went to bed last night is privileged to see a new day.
Happiness is a priceless feeling for me, it's something everyone craves, and unfortunately, a lot of people are stuck with the wrong perspective about this feeling, which makes it difficult for them to get any closer to feeling happy.
As a kid, feeling happy wasn't an issue for many of us. Our parents ensured that we were happy by providing everything we needed so we only felt sad mostly when we didn't get what we wanted from them, but as we grew older, a lot of things changed for us.
Not being able to do many things for ourselves makes us unhappy, and staying unhappy for long can throw us into darkness. If we look around today, a lot of people are sad because of peer pressure; not being able to do what their peers are doing makes them unhappy, and it usually doesn't end well. I won't say there aren't unhappy days for me, but it's always a temporary thing. I think about what makes me sad only for a short time and move on because the longer I stay sad, the longer it takes for me to let go of whatever brought the negative feeling to me.
I had an experience as a teenager that didn't mean anything to me until I became an adult. It was during Sallah, my parents didn't buy new clothes for me and my siblings which made me sad. I and my sibling cried a lot that day as we left the house, and it got to an extent when my dad got mad at us after we refuse to listen to him.
We arrived at the praying ground and after prayer, we met some of our friends who were very happy despite wearing old clothes. As we left the praying ground, we saw kids with torn clothes running around happily, and my dad called my attention to those kids, they were happy despite what they were wearing.
The event meant nothing to me back then, but as I grew older, I realized that happiness isn't attached to a lot of things that we depend on to make us happy.
Many people think having all the things they want can make them feel happy and yes it can, but what happens when those things aren't there anymore? I remember a Nigerian billionaire who committed suicide some years ago even though he had everything that could have made him happy, but he wasn't happy.
Deriving happiness from material things isn't the end of it; there is more to the feeling than acquiring wealth or marrying the man or woman of your dreams.
Happiness is a feeling that must be developed and nurtured by us as individuals, plus it doesn't cost me a dime. Self-appreciation and contentment have been my secrets to staying happy and this is the same thing I tell people when they are struggling to stay happy in life.
Another thing that makes me happy is doing the things I love which includes helping people who are in need, because putting a smile on their faces makes me happy as well. When happiness is derived from natural things, it's simpler to maintain and keep it.
If you can't stay happy during your lowest position in life, finding happiness at the peak might be difficult as well. Finding happiness can come from the simplest of things in life, and in addition to what I mentioned earlier, living an authentic life can help us stay happy.
It's my happiness, and I should be the biggest source of it. Although family and friends will boost the feeling, they are just a booster because they won't be around me forever. Happiness should be nurtured with a fair heart because it shouldn't be at the expense of others.
