I have been living for more than five decades, life taught me many things. I learned that I was so wrong about the concept of happiness. Happiness is an emotion and we are the one in actual control of it. We are the one who decides if we want to be happy or not. I don't think happiness is something like an achievement. it's something which is always there with you but you think that you don't have it. For example, imagine something you wanted to buy, it was an limited edition and it's out of stock, now it depends on you how you want to react or feel. Do you want to feel sad about it? Then you will feel those emotions. Or do you want to stay normal, and tell yourself it doesn't matter.

We are the one who decides the value of a thing, if something is precious or cool for someone else. It's not necessary to feel the same about that same thing. We could put our interest into something we really like not because it's in the crowd. We often try to make ourselves feel included with others and we end up following what others are doing. But then how will we figure out, what we actually want in life? When I was a teenager, I saw every friend of mine they had cricket bats of their own and I didn't have one because my mother couldn't afford it. So, I used to feel very sad about it because I didn't have it like others. But in reality there was no need for it at that time, it wasn't even necessary. It was only a desire and I used to feel I'm falling behind because they all had latest items and I was still using the old ones. I was young, I didn't know that all of that didn't matter.

But now I realize none of it matters, we shouldn't compare our life with others. What others have should never be our concern. We should only try to achieve something when we really feel like it not because someone else is doing it. When I got older, I saw my friends buying motorcycle. I wanted one too because they had it. Anyway, did I really want it? No, I did not. The reason was, I wanted to be like them. I wanted to feel included. That is why I was never happy. I used to think, I will be happy when I have one too. But that was me deciding that I shouldn't be happy if I don't have it.

In present time, I am much happier than I was before, I don't compare or feel left out anymore. If someone is achieving something in life or getting rich, that's good for them. I don't feel that I should feel less because someone else got something they wanted in life. It's their life and they got what they deserve. I will get what I deserve and if I don't work hard for what I want then I will not get it. Even if I don't get what I want, it's not a big deal. It doesn't mean I am a failure, nothing can define if I'm a successful man or not. Only I get to decide that, to me I am already successful in life and I don't need to clarify or prove it to other people. That is the only way, I feel one can stay happy, when they stop living for others and start living for themselves.

There will be problems in life because we are not in a fairy tale, life is supposed go up and down. It will be sour, sweet and spicy sometimes. All of it makes us our life interesting. Just consider every event as a chapter of your life and move forward, do not turn back the pages. Happiness is not something we should be running after because it's within us. Just sit in the balcony have a good cup of tea, spend time with the people who gives you peace. I just love to watch my daughters laugh, and my wife. Seeing them happy makes me happy. Life will always bring stress and unexpected problems but do not forget to live your life because of that. For me, happiness has become less about chasing something big and more about being grateful for the little moments I once thought were ordinary.

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