Happiness cannot be quantified by an individual’s financial status. A homeless person once remarked, “I would feel happy if I only had five hundred pesos.” A passerby who overheard him gave the vagabond a P500 bill. The recipient then stated, “I ought to have requested one thousand pesos.”
Indeed, it is not the amount of money in your bank account, the type of vehicle you drive, or the residence you currently inhabit that determines your happiness. Jane Canfield emphasizes, “The happiest people are rarely the richest, or the most beautiful, or even the most talented. Happy people do not depend on excitement and ‘fun’ supplied by externals. They enjoy the fundamental, often very simple, things of life. They waste no time thinking other pastures are greener; they do not yearn for yesterday or tomorrow. They savor the moment, glad to be alive, enjoying their work, their families, and the good things around them.”
Live simply. That is the primary principle of happiness. Life has become increasingly complex in recent times. Previously, we relied solely on telephones. Nowadays, we possess mobile phones that we can carry anywhere, along with numerous functionalities. In the past, we only had cameras for taking pictures; now we have cameras that not only capture photos but also record videos. Previously, I utilized typewriters to compose my articles; now I can use computers that can perform almost any task – from editing to correcting my spelling errors.
When I travel to foreign countries such as the United States, Singapore, and Australia, I am always amazed by the technology they possess. Although I have a strong desire to purchase some of these gadgets, I worry that I may not be able to utilize them to their full potential. On one occasion, I bought a VHS player during my visit to my sister in the United States a few years ago. To this day, I have not used it because I am unsure how to operate it. “Just read the manual,” my sister advised.
Many individuals I know appear to be unhappy because they complicate their lives by adhering to an intricate standard of living. They accumulate numerous items that they do not genuinely require. The issue is that they lack sufficient funds to afford these material possessions. “Live simply, so that others may simply live,” Mother Teresa suggested.
Living simply is a philosophy of life. In his book, Voluntary Simplicity, Duane Elgin penned: “To live simply is to unburden our lives — to live more lightly, cleanly, aerodynamically. It is to establish a more direct, unpretentious and unencumbered relationship with all aspects of our lives: the things we consume, the work we do, our relationships with others, our connections with nature and the cosmos.”
The next rule: Serve others. “The best way to find yourself is to lose yourself in the service of others,” said Mahatma Gandhi. Wilfred Greenfell added, “The service we render for others is really the rent we pay for our room on this earth.”
You may believe that you are unable to assist others due to a lack of fame, power, or wealth. However, the ability to serve is not determined by your status in life, but rather by your willingness to help others.
A renowned conductor was once asked which orchestral instrument he deemed the most challenging to master. The conductor thought for a moment, then said: “Second fiddle. I can get plenty of first violinists. But to find one who can play second fiddle with enthusiasm – that’s a problem. And if we have no second fiddles, we have no harmony!”
You may be second rate, but you are important in the cast.
Og Mandino, the author of The Greatest Salesman in the World, advocates: “Realize that true happiness lies within you. Waste no time and effort searching for peace and contentment and joy in the world outside. Remember that there is no happiness in having or in getting, but only in giving. Reach out. Share. Smile. Hug. Happiness is a perfume you cannot pour on others without getting a few drops on yourself.”
Nathan C. Scheaffer asks: “At the close of life, the question will be not, How much have you got? How much have you given? Not how much have you won but how much have you done? Not how much have you saved but how much have you sacrificed? It will be how much have you loved and served; not how much were you honored?”
You cannot assist others without offering any of the following: your treasure, your talent, or your time. When your time comes to depart from this world, what will people remember about you?
A friend once sent me an email that provided this insight: “What will truly matter is not the number of people you knew, but the number of individuals who will experience a profound sense of loss when you are no longer here. What will matter is not the memories you created, but the memories that endure in the hearts of those who loved you. What will matter is not the possessions you acquired, but the legacy you built; not what you received, but what you contributed?”
The third rule for happiness: Trust God. American president Abraham Lincoln once admitted: “That the Almighty does make use of human agencies and directly intervenes in human affairs is one of the plainest statements in the Bible.”
If you are looking for happiness, why not ask Him? Our personal relationship with God must be right, or all else comes to naught. “When we leave God out of our reckoning, difficulties will daunt us, temptations will triumph over us, sin will seduce us, self will sway us, the world will warp us, seeming impossibilities will irritate us, unbelief will undermine our faith, fear will frighten us, and all things will hear a somber hue,” F. E. Marsh reminds.
“But when God is recognized s the One who undertakes for us, then difficulties are opportunities to trust Him, temptations are the harbingers of victory, sin has no attraction, self is denied, unbelief is ignored, service is a delight, contentment sings in the heart, and all things are possible,” he adds.
These are my three rules for happiness. Live simply. Serve others. Trust God. Happiness comes not from having much to live on but having much to live for.
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