Reading 3
Many people associate success with happiness and they feel that they can be happy only if they are successful which shouldn’t be the case because success is circumstantial and happiness is not. You can be happy without a big bungalow, huge car or fat bank balance, etc. But the important thing is that you must first identify what makes you happy.
To cultivate happiness, you must adopt a few basic principles. The first and most important rule is to live in present. While the past cannot be changed, you can learn from it and move forward. In addition, the future is uncertain, so avoid making grand plans. Focus on the present, as it's the only time you can control and where happiness resides.
Another important thing is to stay positive in your life and you must also watch your attitude towards your competitors and should never nurture ill feelings towards them. Always indulge into healthy competition and should never take your competition beyond a point where you start treating them as your rivals and get into any kind of enmity. You should only attempt to get ahead of them and not harm them in any ways. Compassion for others can enhance your own happiness
It is also important that you are not stubborn or adamant about anything. There is a difference between being persistent and being adamant and you should be able to differentiate between both. Strong willpower is important, but you shouldn’t tie your happiness to a single goal. It is important that you are flexible enough to compromise on certain things.
Staying happy is everyone’s right, but it solely depends upon people as to what exactly makes them happy. Artificial or materialistic happiness is temporary; thus you must try to achieve the real happiness of your life.
(Adapted from http://www.indiacelebrating.com/speech/happiness-speech/)
