Happiness is not a destination, it's a journey.
Happiness is not tomorrow, it is now.
Happiness is not a dependency, it is a decision.
Happiness is what you are, not what you have.
There is no better place than an airport to observe the current state of humanity.
You can just sit back and watch in amazement as the world rushes past in ever increasing states of madness.
People appear to be talking to themselves or to the voices in their heads, when you suddenly realize they have a little gadget attached to their ear.
Others are frantically spelling out words on tiny keyboards in some strange manic way.
This over stimulus of odd behavior sends you off to find the relative peace and quiet of the "book store".
You peruse the shelves only to find hoards of self help books that tell you THEY have the answer to make you rich, thin, beautiful, happy and attract the perfect lover!! You move to the magazines filled beautiful, rich, thin people with their perfect lover, but are they happy? According to University of Illinois psychologist Edward Diener, being rich will not make you happy.
He should know, he has been studying what makes people happy for more than 25 years.
One of his more compelling findings is that the United States, despite having a higher purchasing power, ranks behind countries like Ireland, Canada and Switzerland in the life satisfaction of its citizens.
Diener says that once peoples basic needs are met, an increase in income has little, if any, effect on their sense of well-being.
We are taught to look for happiness outside ourselves, thinking that if we had the right house, the right partner, the right job, and the right body we will be truly happy.
We spend almost all our time adjusting our external world, trying to make it conform to our wishes.
We surround ourselves with people and things that we think will make us feel comfortable, secure, or stimulated, yet still happiness eludes us.
So what about good looks and success? Just ask yourself how many of those beautiful people we see in those magazines are happy.
As soon as their youth begins to fade they rush to their only friend, the plastic surgeon.
Beautiful people that have written books about being happy and successful suddenly collapse under the weight of the reality of ageing and disappoint us all by going under the knife.
The Keys to Contentment Modern science is working to unlock the secrets of contentment and happiness.
Martin Seligman PhD, and founding director of the Positive Psychology Center at the University of Pennsylvania and author of Authentic Happiness, says that the key to happiness appears to lie in our internal qualities and character strengths, not in external events.
Seligman's research described and classified the 24 character strengths that make people thrive, including creativity, curiosity, bravery, kindness, gratitude, hope, zest, and the ability to love and be loved.
When positive psychologists talk about happiness, what they mean is a sense of deep contentment or peace of mind.
So after all these studies it turns out that happiness is most strongly associated with internal qualities and not objects or things.
This is something the ancient yogis new thousands of years ago.
They informed us that happiness derived from material objects would never be lasting.
It is only because we project our own self into material objects that we seem to derive pleasure from them, even if it is fleeting.
They go on to inform us that happiness is connected to higher intelligence and consciousness, which animates body, mind and intelligence.
In the Bhagavad-Gita (sacred text of Hindu philosophy), it describes the mind as turbulent and obstinate.
It describes the body as a chariot; the five horses represent the five senses (tongue, eyes, nose, ears and skin).
The reins symbolizes the mind, the driver is the intelligence while the passenger is the true Self.
If the driver lets go of the reins the five senses (horses) will gallop out of control.
It is our senses that have insatiable appetites, and con us into a habitual lifestyle that makes us miserable.
If I have that cake it will make me happy.
If I diet and look beautiful then I will be happy.
If I drive around in an expensive car then I will be happy.
Don't listen to them, go deep inside and think, what really makes me happy? Taking a long walk through nature, volunteering your time for the homeless or spending time with your children.
All these things connect us with an inner sense of that ability to love and be loved.
Which in all ancient philosophies is the core of happiness.
Ayurveda, Our Minds and Happiness The average human mind is continually fluctuating; sometimes angry, sometimes loving, sometimes restless, sometimes calm and quiet, sometimes alert and awake, and sometimes sleepy and confused.
This is because the mind is being affected by stimuli all around us: by food, impressions taken in by television, video games, loud noise, gentle music, or beautiful scenery.
Ayurveda sees all these stimuli as having a predominating guna or quality, and will affect the mind accordingly.
The gunas have their own individual qualities, and everything in the cosmos has a mixture of these specific qualities.
There are three (Tri) gunas; Sattva (mode of Goodness), Rajas (Mode of Passion) and Tamas (Mode of Ignorance) that affect the individual consciousness.
These cannot be directly perceived by our sense organs owing to their subtle nature.
Their presence can only be known indirectly by noticing their properties in their evolved products.
It is like knowing the presence of electricity in a lamp indirectly by seeing its manifestation in the light bulb.
Our happiness or unhappiness initially starts in the mind, that is why the condition of our minds plays such an important role on our overall health and ultimately how we 'feel'.
Because we experience our world through our senses and our minds react to stimulus, Ayurveda has categorized these stimuli into three sources.
The first is to do with thoughts, the second with types of things we choose to touch, see, hear etc.
, and the third is what we eat and drink.
All these things are ultimately governed by our minds, which will be influenced by the gunas.
The Characteristics of the Gunas: Sattva is of the nature of pleasure, is light (not heavy), buoyant and illuminating, with the power to enlighten or reveal things.
The various types of pleasure that we experience, joy, satisfaction, contentment, happiness, bliss, etc.
, derived from various sources show that Sattva is present in all of them as well as in our minds.
The presence of Sattva causes our minds to be alert, aware, peaceful, compassionate, serene, nonviolent, forgiving and capable of knowing the unknown.
Whenever we come to know anything, the revelation of that knowledge is because of the presence of Sattva in our mind.
The very nature of Sattva makes it impossible to be over stimulated in a negative way.
The mind predominantly influenced by Sattvic qualities will become fulfilled, remaining connected to its pure, creative source.
Eating Sattvic foods, such as ghee, fresh fruit and vegetables, whole grain breads, honey, nuts and seeds will nourish the body and mind.
Rajas causes movement, activity and stimulation.
Wherever there is any activity or movement, Rajas is present.
Too much stimulation and rajas will also generate mental pain and suffering.
Anger, greed, self-conceit, arrogance, boastfulness, the tendency to dominate over others, indicates the presence of excessive Rajas in our minds.
Rajasic over-stimulation can come from working too hard, watching too much violence on TV, listening to loud stimulating music, eating hot spicy foods, sugar and caffeinated drinks.
Too much rajas will affect both health and happiness.
The properties of Tamas are the very opposite of those of Sattva and Rajas.
Over-stimulation causes heaviness and obstructs knowledge by ignorance.
Tamas induces dullness, sadness and confusion.
It causes darkness, brings laziness, passivity, drowsiness, apathy, lack of enthusiasm and mental depression.
Eating excessively, taking old food like leftovers or frozen dinners, eating meat, drinking too much alcohol, smoking or taking drugs will cause an imbalance.
Sleeping too much or not getting enough exercise will also dull the mind.
We will become depressed and filled with despair.
Our minds will become lost in negative thoughts with destructive effects.
Master of our Own Happiness By understanding the properties of the gunas, identifying the sources of happiness in our lives and making a conscious effort to optimize them, most of us should be able to raise our average satisfaction levels.
So who is the master of our happiness? Is it the multi-million dollar self-help and motivational media industry, which offers countless ways to make our lives happier? Perhaps it is the multi-billion dollar pharmaceutical industry with their new happy pill? Or could it be that new expensive procedure that will get rid of those wrinkles? 'Who decides whether you shall be happy? The answer - YOU DO!
Happiness is not tomorrow, it is now.
Happiness is not a dependency, it is a decision.
Happiness is what you are, not what you have.
There is no better place than an airport to observe the current state of humanity.
You can just sit back and watch in amazement as the world rushes past in ever increasing states of madness.
People appear to be talking to themselves or to the voices in their heads, when you suddenly realize they have a little gadget attached to their ear.
Others are frantically spelling out words on tiny keyboards in some strange manic way.
This over stimulus of odd behavior sends you off to find the relative peace and quiet of the "book store".
You peruse the shelves only to find hoards of self help books that tell you THEY have the answer to make you rich, thin, beautiful, happy and attract the perfect lover!! You move to the magazines filled beautiful, rich, thin people with their perfect lover, but are they happy? According to University of Illinois psychologist Edward Diener, being rich will not make you happy.
He should know, he has been studying what makes people happy for more than 25 years.
One of his more compelling findings is that the United States, despite having a higher purchasing power, ranks behind countries like Ireland, Canada and Switzerland in the life satisfaction of its citizens.
Diener says that once peoples basic needs are met, an increase in income has little, if any, effect on their sense of well-being.
We are taught to look for happiness outside ourselves, thinking that if we had the right house, the right partner, the right job, and the right body we will be truly happy.
We spend almost all our time adjusting our external world, trying to make it conform to our wishes.
We surround ourselves with people and things that we think will make us feel comfortable, secure, or stimulated, yet still happiness eludes us.
So what about good looks and success? Just ask yourself how many of those beautiful people we see in those magazines are happy.
As soon as their youth begins to fade they rush to their only friend, the plastic surgeon.
Beautiful people that have written books about being happy and successful suddenly collapse under the weight of the reality of ageing and disappoint us all by going under the knife.
The Keys to Contentment Modern science is working to unlock the secrets of contentment and happiness.
Martin Seligman PhD, and founding director of the Positive Psychology Center at the University of Pennsylvania and author of Authentic Happiness, says that the key to happiness appears to lie in our internal qualities and character strengths, not in external events.
Seligman's research described and classified the 24 character strengths that make people thrive, including creativity, curiosity, bravery, kindness, gratitude, hope, zest, and the ability to love and be loved.
When positive psychologists talk about happiness, what they mean is a sense of deep contentment or peace of mind.
So after all these studies it turns out that happiness is most strongly associated with internal qualities and not objects or things.
This is something the ancient yogis new thousands of years ago.
They informed us that happiness derived from material objects would never be lasting.
It is only because we project our own self into material objects that we seem to derive pleasure from them, even if it is fleeting.
They go on to inform us that happiness is connected to higher intelligence and consciousness, which animates body, mind and intelligence.
In the Bhagavad-Gita (sacred text of Hindu philosophy), it describes the mind as turbulent and obstinate.
It describes the body as a chariot; the five horses represent the five senses (tongue, eyes, nose, ears and skin).
The reins symbolizes the mind, the driver is the intelligence while the passenger is the true Self.
If the driver lets go of the reins the five senses (horses) will gallop out of control.
It is our senses that have insatiable appetites, and con us into a habitual lifestyle that makes us miserable.
If I have that cake it will make me happy.
If I diet and look beautiful then I will be happy.
If I drive around in an expensive car then I will be happy.
Don't listen to them, go deep inside and think, what really makes me happy? Taking a long walk through nature, volunteering your time for the homeless or spending time with your children.
All these things connect us with an inner sense of that ability to love and be loved.
Which in all ancient philosophies is the core of happiness.
Ayurveda, Our Minds and Happiness The average human mind is continually fluctuating; sometimes angry, sometimes loving, sometimes restless, sometimes calm and quiet, sometimes alert and awake, and sometimes sleepy and confused.
This is because the mind is being affected by stimuli all around us: by food, impressions taken in by television, video games, loud noise, gentle music, or beautiful scenery.
Ayurveda sees all these stimuli as having a predominating guna or quality, and will affect the mind accordingly.
The gunas have their own individual qualities, and everything in the cosmos has a mixture of these specific qualities.
There are three (Tri) gunas; Sattva (mode of Goodness), Rajas (Mode of Passion) and Tamas (Mode of Ignorance) that affect the individual consciousness.
These cannot be directly perceived by our sense organs owing to their subtle nature.
Their presence can only be known indirectly by noticing their properties in their evolved products.
It is like knowing the presence of electricity in a lamp indirectly by seeing its manifestation in the light bulb.
Our happiness or unhappiness initially starts in the mind, that is why the condition of our minds plays such an important role on our overall health and ultimately how we 'feel'.
Because we experience our world through our senses and our minds react to stimulus, Ayurveda has categorized these stimuli into three sources.
The first is to do with thoughts, the second with types of things we choose to touch, see, hear etc.
, and the third is what we eat and drink.
All these things are ultimately governed by our minds, which will be influenced by the gunas.
The Characteristics of the Gunas: Sattva is of the nature of pleasure, is light (not heavy), buoyant and illuminating, with the power to enlighten or reveal things.
The various types of pleasure that we experience, joy, satisfaction, contentment, happiness, bliss, etc.
, derived from various sources show that Sattva is present in all of them as well as in our minds.
The presence of Sattva causes our minds to be alert, aware, peaceful, compassionate, serene, nonviolent, forgiving and capable of knowing the unknown.
Whenever we come to know anything, the revelation of that knowledge is because of the presence of Sattva in our mind.
The very nature of Sattva makes it impossible to be over stimulated in a negative way.
The mind predominantly influenced by Sattvic qualities will become fulfilled, remaining connected to its pure, creative source.
Eating Sattvic foods, such as ghee, fresh fruit and vegetables, whole grain breads, honey, nuts and seeds will nourish the body and mind.
Rajas causes movement, activity and stimulation.
Wherever there is any activity or movement, Rajas is present.
Too much stimulation and rajas will also generate mental pain and suffering.
Anger, greed, self-conceit, arrogance, boastfulness, the tendency to dominate over others, indicates the presence of excessive Rajas in our minds.
Rajasic over-stimulation can come from working too hard, watching too much violence on TV, listening to loud stimulating music, eating hot spicy foods, sugar and caffeinated drinks.
Too much rajas will affect both health and happiness.
The properties of Tamas are the very opposite of those of Sattva and Rajas.
Over-stimulation causes heaviness and obstructs knowledge by ignorance.
Tamas induces dullness, sadness and confusion.
It causes darkness, brings laziness, passivity, drowsiness, apathy, lack of enthusiasm and mental depression.
Eating excessively, taking old food like leftovers or frozen dinners, eating meat, drinking too much alcohol, smoking or taking drugs will cause an imbalance.
Sleeping too much or not getting enough exercise will also dull the mind.
We will become depressed and filled with despair.
Our minds will become lost in negative thoughts with destructive effects.
Master of our Own Happiness By understanding the properties of the gunas, identifying the sources of happiness in our lives and making a conscious effort to optimize them, most of us should be able to raise our average satisfaction levels.
So who is the master of our happiness? Is it the multi-million dollar self-help and motivational media industry, which offers countless ways to make our lives happier? Perhaps it is the multi-billion dollar pharmaceutical industry with their new happy pill? Or could it be that new expensive procedure that will get rid of those wrinkles? 'Who decides whether you shall be happy? The answer - YOU DO!