Art of Achieving Happiness

“Happiness is within”
“The kingdom of heaven is within you”
Yet we search for it outside
……. at the wrong places!!!
For the longest time, it seems that life was about to
start. Real life.
But there was always some obstacle along the way, an
ordeal to get through, some work to be finished, some
time to be given, a bill to be paid. Then life would start.

We need to understand that those obstacles were

LIFE.

The above point of view

shows that there isn’t
any road to happiness.
Happiness IS the road.
 HAPPINESS
• DEFINITION
• TYPES OF HAPPINESS
• TRAITS OF HAPPY PEOPLE
• EPIDEMIOLOGY OF HAPPINESS
• GOLDEN RULES FOR HAPPINESS
 DEFINITION
Happiness is a desire.
Happiness is the highest good and
ultimate motivation for human action.

Happiness is the first and strongest

desire of human nature
Happiness is a pleasure and the
absence of pain
• Happiness is a feeling which imparts pleasure in us.

• Happiness is a continuous creative activity.

• Happiness is the true triumph

• Happiness is fundamentally an endogenous

experience.

• Happiness is having more positive emotions and

moods than negative emotions and moods.
• Happiness is a positive enduring state that consists of
positive feelings and includes both peace of mind and
active pleasures of joy.

• Happiness (Anand) is a state of unconditional,

undefined, ultimate contentment. It transcends all
material aspirations and is the ultimate goal of all
human existence

• Happiness is a state when what you think, what you

say and what you do are in harmony.
(Mahatma Gandhi)
AS POSTULATED IN BHAGWADA GITA
HAPPINESS
IS OF THREE KINDS

1.Sattvika
2.Rajasika
3.Tamasika
 SATVIKA HAPPINESS
It initially appears to be akin to poison
but ultimately it is like nectar. This type
of happiness is born out of grace;
blessing and self knowledge.
ACHIEVED BY

Study
Exercise
Meditation
Purity of mind
Clear thinking

Ensures Enduring Happiness

 RAJASIKA HAPPINESS
It arises out of contact between the sense organs and objects.
It is initially like nectar but results in sorrow like poison.
Rajasika joys lead to :

Greed
Dissatisfaction
Indulgence
Addiction

Momentary Enslaving & Problematic

Happiness
 TAMASIKA HAPPINESS
It deludes a person in the beginning and end. It appeals to
baser human instincts.
.
Characterised by
 Laziness
 Postponing work
 Ignorance
This type of joy manifests in the form of
 Drinking
 Smoking
 Gambling
Such people indulge in a never
ending pursuit of happiness.
One with Sattvika vision,
Understanding and
Fortitude surely gets
Sattvika happiness.
What is Inner Happiness?

Self Esteem
+
Self Respect
+
Personal Pride.
 TYPES OF HAPPINESS

• Physical
• Mental
• Emotional
• Spiritual
 SOURCES OF ENERGY FOR
HAPPINESS
PHYSICAL MENTAL
• 1. Physical Health 1. Ability to focus clearly
• 2. Strength 2. Whole brain thinking
• 3. Fitness 3. Creativity – both
• 4. Vitality rational and intuitive
• 5. Endurance 4. Ability to learn

EMOTIONAL SPIRITUAL
• 1. Positive mood and feelings 1. Sense of purpose
and meaning
• 2. Ability to manage upsets, deep 2. Commitment to deep
Pressures & stressful situations values
3. Confidence 3. Passion
• 4. Connection with self and others 4. Integrity and Inner peace
 THE TRAITS OF HAPPY PEOPLE

• Personal control: Happy people believe

they choose their destinies.
• Optimism: Happy people are full of hope.
• Extraversion: Happy people are outgoing

Generally, people who perceive themselves

to be “happy” live longer and have a more
fulfilled life.
EPIDEMIOLOGY OF HAPPINESS
• Happiness is a transcultural
phenomenon
• encompasses the entire spectrum of
humanity.
• No barriers of caste, creed or economic
disparity.
WHY BE HAPPY ?
 Affect / Mood
 Motivational
 Behavioral
 WHAT IS HAPPINESS-
BIOLOGICALLY ?

• It is an attribute of senses.
• In brain, neurons secrete some
chemical neurotransmitters and
modulators, promoting sense of
well being and happiness.
 HAPPINESS & PLEASURE
• Happiness is a creation of mind, is
intrinsic and always preceded by
peace. It is a long lasting mental and
spiritual experience.

• Pleasure is an attribute of senses. It

is extrinsic and a physical experience
possibly preceded by peace and is
short lived.
 QUANTIFICATION OF
HAPPINESS

As there is no measure for

taste ,there is no measurement
for happiness either.
GOLDEN RULES OF HAPPINESS
 EAT AND SLEEP PROPERLY
 BREATHE PROPERLY
 THINK PROPERLY
 HAVE A GOAL IN LIFE
 LIVE WITH A PURPOSE
 TAKE CARE OF THE SOUL
 LEARN TO IMBIBE PEACE OF
MIND
 AVOID EGO
 RAISE YOUR CONSCIOUSNESS
 HAVE A POSITIVE ATTITUDE
 AVOID ANGER
 AVOID EXTREMES OF ANXIETY
 BE DISCIPLINED IN LIFE
 BE FAIR TO YOURSELF AND
OTHERS
 CREATE POSITIVE EMOTIONS
 GET RID OF UNDUE DESIRES
• EAT AND SLEEP PROPERLY- Balanced diet maintains
proper growth
Adequate sleep and rest
energize our mind.

• BREATHE PROPERLY – As we breathe, so shall we live

Breath is our constant and
unfailing friend. Synchronize
process of breathing

• THINK PROPERLY - Contemplation not only

helps in controlling anger but
also serves as the best means to
attaining victory over all
the vices dwelling inside a
human being.
• HAVE A GOAL IN LIFE Set rules and guidelines for your life.
Rules and guidelines assure that goals will be
pursued according to plan.
Goals bring orderliness to a life that yields
gratification and fulfillment.

• LIVE WITH A PURPOSE Growing involves adding life to one’s years

and ageing involves adding years to one’s life.
Life is fulfilling only if it is a process of growing.

• TAKE CARE OF THE SOUL The whole of the body is in the mind, but the
whole of the mind is not in the body.
Only part of the mind is dependent on physical
comforts and pleasures for its happiness.
Our entire body is totally dependent on the
mind for its health and wellbeing.
It is the mind that controls the body
 LEARN TO IMBIBE
PEACE OF MIND

• Peace of mind is the correct disposition of

mind and is the source of noble thoughts.
• Do not act in haste.
• Do your work with a calm and
selfless attitude.
• Work done with patience proves to be more
efficient.
• It is a God manifest
 AVOID EGO

• Ego is our enemy and a negative

attribute.

• Ego stands in our way when we

try to pursue our goal of achieving
happiness.
 RAISE YOUR CONSCIOUSNESS

• Forgive yourself and others

• Life is too short to hold on to regrets,
grudges ,miscommunications, or
disappointments.
• Stay consciously aware of all your thoughts
and feelings
• Treat physical body as a temple.
• View through the eyes of a child.
• View every experience as a gift.
• Practice gratitude and appreciation
 HAVE A POSITIVE ATTITUDE

• You can not change nature but can change

your attitude.
• It is not what happens to you that counts .It
is how you react to what happens to you.
• When you adopt a positive attitude life
becomes a rewarding adventure instead of
something to get through.
• Positive attitude brings about transformation in
the very course of life.
 AVOID ANGER
• Anger is nothing but a brief
madness.
• Anger starts from stupidity and
ends at repentance.
• It is very easy for anyone to get
angry but getting angry at right
time, in right degree, at the right
person for the right reason, and
in the right manner is neither
easy nor is it in everyone’s
scope or frame of capabilities.
• No one likes to be caught in a
web of uncontrolled anger.
 AVOID EXTREMES OF ANXIETY

• Normal level of anxiety promotes

healthy growth and development.
• Too much and too little results in
defective adaptation.
 BE DISCIPLINED IN LIFE

• Too permissive and too rigid

discipline are both counter
productive.
• A consistent discipline is
conducive to more balanced
development.
 BE FAIR TO YOURSELF AND OTHERS

• Demonstrate fairness in all that you do. This

trait reveals your concern for others while
demonstrating an impartial attitude and an
absence of discrimination.
• Set rules and guidelines for your life. Rules and
guidelines assure that goals will be pursued
according to plan. Goals bring orderliness to a
life that yields gratification and fulfillment.
 CREATE POSITIVE EMOTIONS

• Positive emotions are key to life.

• Choose to be happy.
• Get rid of negative emotions
• Positive emotional energy is key to health,
happiness & well being .
• Feeling sorry for yourself is a solitary
occupation which doesn’t impress or attract
friends.
• Develop self-assurance based on your past
achievements and accentuate the positive emotions.
 GET RID OF UNDUE DESIRES

• Don’t run after desires without weighing all the

pros and cons.
• Evaluate your desire properly
• Go after only such desire that are useful,
healthy, constructive and conducive to you
• Don’t become a complete victim of desire.
• Things impossible to achieve/change/alter are best
forgotten.
• Good life is secured by moderation of desire.
We convince ourselves that life will be better once we are married,
have a baby, then another.

Then we get frustrated because our children are

not old enough, and that all will be well when
they are older.

Then we are frustrated because they

reach adolescence and we must deal
with them. Surely we’ll be happier when
they grow out of the teen years.

We tell ourselves our lives will be better when our spouse gets
his/her act together, when we have a nicer car, when we can take
a vacation, when we finally retire.

The truth is that there is no better time to be happy than right now.
If not, then when?
Your life will always be full of challenges. It is better to admit as
much and to decide to be happy in spite of it all.
• Happiness is a voyage, not a
destination
• Happiness is a mystical
pursuit where demand out
runs supply.
• There is no better time to be
happy than… NOW! Live and
enjoy the moment.
 JUST FOR TODAY
I will let go of anger.
 I will let go of worry.
I will live an attitude
of gratitude.
 I will do my work
honestly.
 I will love and be
kind to all living
beings.
IN MY QUEST FOR HAPPINESS
How ever…
“HAPPINESS IN THE
ARMY IS ENTIRELY
A MATTER OF
CHANCE”