Dr. Deepti Gupta
Happiness and Success are the two most aspired words. All of us want to be successful in li44fe and aspire for happiness in various things that we do. But we are often get confused considering the meaning of these two terms (happiness and success) in our life and understanding their relevance in making our life better. Both are subjective terms having different connotation for each one of us.
On the occasion of International Day of Happiness, which falls on March 20 every year, we all should spare some time from our daily schedules to examine these aspects of happiness and success in our lives. Though it has a different meaning for each one of us, they have a very important role to play in making our lives easier and our world a better place to live.
Most of us believe that if we become successful, then we will be happy. But the reality is something different. If we look around ourselves, we will find numerous examples where success does not result into happiness. Actually, it is the other way round, that is, if we are happy, the outcome is always a success. Because happiness makes our brain motivated, engaged, creative, energetic, resilient and productive. And all these are the essential ingredients for achieving success in life. Happiness is a state of mind which enhances the productivity and thus results into success in different aspects of life.
There are various areas of life where we can apply this formula of happiness for success. Starting with our workplace, where we all spend about 40 percent of our life’s time. People work best when they feel good about themselves. A positive environment brings best results and happy employees make organization more successful. But for many of us, work detracts from happiness rather than adding to it. Workplace and the work become stressful and thus, the productivity is adversely affected. We often blame the environment and the circumstances rather than considering our own contribution in making it a better place. Activities of the people involved in the organization bring all the change.
Another area of relevance here is our close group of family and friends. It has been established fact that for our happiness, our nearest and dearest really matter. People who have a strong relationship with their partner, family or close friends are happier, healthier and live a long life. And it works both ways—for them and for others too. But unfortunately, we often take our closest relationship for granted. Maintaining them takes conscious attention and effort and there are things we can all do that make a difference.
Not just in our workplace and our close group of family and friends, our happiness is intertwined with the wellbeing of our local community. Being connected in a community helps us develop a sense of belongingness and this has a big impact on our own happiness, that of our family and the community as a whole. There are things all of us can do to improve community wellbeing, from getting to know your neighbors to supporting local activities and finding ways to help improve community facilities. Thus, our actions can have a big impact, not only on our well-being but on the happiness of those around us. Success being the state of mind is facilitated with happiness in and around the person. It’s important not only for one’s own well-being but also for the community and society at large.
This year’s theme of International Day of Happiness is Happier Together, focusing on what we have in common, rather than what divides us. Everyone wants to be happy—and life is happier when we are together. So let’s celebrate our common humanity. Be a happiness activist, who promotes happiness and protects the happiness of others.
Being a Happiness Activist is about putting happiness—our own and other people’s— at the heart of our philosophy of life. It’s about working together, spreading the word, and ‘being the change we want to see in the world’.
(The author is Assistant Professor in Sociology, Govt. M.A.M. College, Jammu)
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