The source of happiness is within us. Happiness starts from within us.
External events might cause it to manifest, but the real source of happiness comes from within you.
Happiness often seems to be the result of external factors, but actually, it starts and comes out into the open from inside us.
There is inner happiness within everyone, but layers of negative thoughts, fears, worries, and anxieties cover it. Inner happiness is an inseparable part of our inner being and essence, but we often allow various factors to hide it.
Inner happiness appears when thoughts and worries calm down.
There is a deep correlation between inner happiness and inner peace. When one is present, the other one is present too.
To understand what happiness means, we need to know what pleasure is. Though these two terms might seem identical, they are not.
Happiness vs Pleasure
- What is the difference between happiness and pleasure?
- What is happiness, and why do we constantly search for it?
- What does it mean to be happy?
These are important questions that require answers. Let’s begin by talking about pleasure.
What Is Pleasure
It is a hot summer day, and you feel thirsty. A friend offers you a refreshing cold glass of lemonade.
- How do you feel when you see the glass with chilled lemonade?
- How do you feel when you drink it?
- Will you describe your feeling as happiness or as pleasure?
I believe that you will say it is a feeling of pleasure.
There is a connection between these two kinds of feelings; sometimes, one evokes the other, but they are not the same.
Pleasure is perceived through the five senses, while happiness is independent of the five senses.
Pleasure is a good feeling of satisfaction, contentment, and delight triggered by various events or actions, for example:
- Eating good, delicious food.
- Feeling the warm caressing rays of the sun on a winter day.
- Watching a good movie.
- Having fun at a party.
- Lying in bed after a long, tiring day.
Pleasure has to do with enjoyment involving the five senses and is dependent on circumstances, objects, or people.
When you are happy, minor unpleasant events might not disturb you, but when you are unhappy, you feel that everything is against you. You might compensate for this by eating chocolate and sweets because this gives you a sensation of pleasure.
You may smoke a cigarette because it gives you pleasure, but this does not make you happier, especially if you acknowledge the fact that smoking is not good for your health.
After talking about pleasure, let us now talk about happiness.
What Is Happiness?
It is a feeling of satisfaction, exhilaration, elation, and joy that wells from within. You experience it when a problem has been solved, a goal has been achieved, and when you feel good.
Some people fear that if they experience happiness, it will soon be taken away from them. They regard it as a temporary state and are afraid to experience it lest they lose it. They want to avoid the pain that might follow when it goes away.
These people believe that happiness is always followed by unhappiness.
Others might go to the extreme of not seeking it at all because they feel unworthy of it and prefer to avoid it.
Some people always look behind their backs, wondering from where the blow will come.
The physical world is always in a state of flux. At each moment, a new thing is being created, sustained, changed, transformed, or destroyed. This is the normal state of affairs, and no one can change it.
No situation remains as it is. These are the laws of nature.
This means that if we attach ourselves to a particular situation, we are bound to experience unhappiness sooner or later.
When circumstances change, and the changes are not to our liking, we experience unhappiness. However, if we exercise detachment, nothing can disturb our moods and state of mind. Then, external events would not affect our happiness and peace of mind.
From the moment of birth, there is a yearning for happiness, and an endless race toward it.
If we analyze our actions, we will see that all of them are, in some way or another, happiness oriented. We seek this inner joy and elation in everything we do: relationships, work, and anything else. Everyone wants to feel good and happy.
Happiness Comes from Within Us
As said earlier, the source of happiness is within us. It comes from within us. It is an inseparable part of us. Yet, a great number of people are not happy.
Our negative thoughts, anxieties, and fears cover this blissful feeling and prevent us from experiencing it.
We do not have to create this feeling. We just have to remove the layers of thoughts and negative feelings that hide it within from us.
When do we experience this desired state of happiness?
- This state emerges when a problem has been solved, a burden has been lifted, or a fear has disappeared.
- We also experience it when a desire or an ambition has been fulfilled.
- It appears when we acquire or receive something we wanted very much.
- It manifests when we feel peaceful and good about ourselves.
- Happiness also appears when we are assured of the love of someone dear to us.
- We experience it when we receive or win a sum of money.
- We experience happiness when we get good grades at school.
- We are happy when someone compliments us.
What happens in the situations mentioned above?
The tension that has been accumulating while we were pursuing, waiting, expecting, or desiring is released. There is no more need to run after the coveted object or evade fear, and there is no tension, worry, or burden.
At this moment, happiness appears from within, together with a sense of inner peace.
At these times, we have no need to think, worry, or desire a particular goal, object, event, or circumstance because we have either already accomplished it or got it.
At this moment, there is mental relaxation, which makes the inner happiness manifest. It is as if the mind, which was filled with desires, anticipations, worries, or fears, is now empty of them.
While we experience happiness, which is an inner feeling, there is a sense of freedom, a feeling of ease, inner peace, and joy.
Inner Happiness and Inner Peace
Watch your mind next time you experience happiness and see what is happening. You will discover that your mind becomes quiet, and its constant chatter stops for a while.
In this situation, happiness emerges into your awareness.
As you see, the trigger for happiness might be outside of yourself, but the source of happiness is within you. From this inner source, happiness emerges, usually with a sense of inner peace, satisfaction and joy.
True, the joy might be gone after a while because other thoughts, worries, desires, or problems start to fill your mind. However, with a little training, you can teach yourself to stay happy.
Happiness does not have to come and go. You can learn not to allow circumstances, people’s remarks and behavior, and your own thoughts and worries to drive happiness away.
If you learn to calm down your mind and choose the thoughts you want and reject the thoughts you do not want, you will begin to experience more inner peace in your life, and when there is inner peace, there is also happiness and joy.
“It is our mindset that makes us feel happy or unhappy, satisfied or unsatisfied. You have the power to change your mindset.”
“In every situation, even a bad or unpleasant one, there is something good, happy or amusing. Why not focus on it instead of focus on the difficulties and unpleasantness?”
Happiness comes from within, as if from an inner well, not from the outside. This means it is within your reach, and enjoying is not dependent on external factors.
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