I am indeed happy today. I was happy yesterday. I have promised to myself that I shall be happy tomorrow. I am bouncing like a ball. It is happiness that makes me bounce like a ball. I am on the move. I shall always be on the move. I find happiness in the movement. It is the state of being stationary that makes me sad. I have to shake off the sadness by moving into some place where people are partying. The people whom I know and the people whom I do not know help me lift my spirits. I find a new avenue for a job while partying. The small talk leads to big contacts and bigger contracts. Business booms. I bounce like a ball once again.

There are people and people. I like people. People make me happy provided we know how to handle one another well. Didn’t we learn in our first primer that man is a social animal? Of course, we did. The pretty teacher had emphasized that man is gregarious by nature. In our own child-like imagination we figured that she, as a single woman, needed male company. One of the boys had romance writ large on his mien and wished to attain manhood faster than his years. The very thought of it made him happy. A flight of fancy makes one happy. It is just for a fleeting moment. One has to come down to the mother earth sooner than later.
Men and women of different dispositions are happy or unhappy in different situations. As someone said that happiness is a state of mind, and one has to be in the correct frame of mind to be happy. Those who know about the brain say that the centre for positive, optimistic and happy feelings is in the left prefrontal cortex. When there is higher than normal activity in this region, one is likely to have positive moods. One feels one starts the day well in that condition and is “ready to take on the world”. This is the finding of researchers in Affective Neuroscience at the University of Wisconsin, USA. They add that “Happiness” like cholesterol is genetically influenced, yet also influenced by your habits and attitudes.

Now what it boils down to is cultivating correct habits and attitudes in our day to day life. We have to send correct signals to the relevant part of the brain to generate more than normal activity to be in the right mood at the right time. How do we do it? The Kathopanishad guides us thus: Uttishthat Jagrit Prapya Varannibodhat. It means – Arise, awake and with the guidance of the wise and learned appreciate and achieve Excellence. It will lead to heavenly happiness.

The command “Arise and Awake” is both for the body and the mind. When one is out of the deep slumber at the crack of the dawn, one should not scramble out of bed as if there was a bomb blast in the bedroom. One should commence the day’s proceedings at an even pace and with prayers on the lips. The Gayatri mantra comes handy as one beseeches the Almighty for an inspired intellect to traverse the path of righteousness. That is the way to be healthy, wealthy and wise. That is the way to Happiness. We may lead the uninitiated ones to the mantra :
Om Bhur Bhuvah Svah. Tat Savitur Varenyam Bhargo Devasya Dhimahi. Dhiyo Yo Nah Pracho Dayat.

One is encouraged to drink a liter of water right at the outset to activate the internal system and for a smooth discharge of human waste. The earlier it is done the better it would be. One may be unable to climb the ladder of spiritualism until the human body is toned up .Healthy body alone has a healthy mind. Allow me to add that a healthy mind is invariably a happy mind. Looking after the body is the first and the foremost step to achieving happiness. The human body is certainly one of the first means where Dharma is the end. One should go out in an open and clean place like a public park to inhale and exhale fresh air. Let oxygenated blood build the body, mind and leave an impact of good Karma on the soul to lead to lasting happiness. Thus one will be encouraged to “Act happy” even in adverse circumstances. Happiness begets happiness. When you act as a happy man or woman, people around you will be impressed and influenced in a positive manner.

Of course, intake of wholesome and balanced diet is a sine qua non to lasting peace of mind and both physical and mental happiness. A good vegetarian diet helps in achieving spiritual happiness. It helps nurture spiritual personality. It is seen that the religious people have better capability to cope with crises and come out of them unscathed. Mantra-manan or meditation on the meaning of a Ved mantra in depth steels one’s nerves and brings in happiness.

One may like to take a look at the factors that go a long way in making men and women happy in life. One should learn to live in the Present too. Many a time we eulogize the past and its unrecorded glory. Sometimes we plan for the future and ignore the present problems that are hard to solve. We tend to lapse into fantasy like the little boy dreaming to grow fast to manhood to keep company with the petit class teacher. He dreams of rescuing the damsel in distress and drive away the demon in his imagination. A fantasy flight may provide a temporary relief but the lasting happiness comes from living in the present, facing hard realities of life and solving problems. This exercise increases social-efficiency and results in lasting happiness.

Love and friendship of lasting nature form the cornerstone of the edifice of happiness. Do ask yourself off and on, do I love someone? If the answer is positive, you are in the pink of health for happiness. A negative answer should give you a sleepless night. If I do not love anyone, no one will love me. Bereft of real love, I shall have more than my share of unhappiness. At the same time take care not to get entangled in a love triangle where someone is bound to get shot. Please do cultivate healthy friendship and rise above selfishness. A friend in need is a friend indeed; this saying is evergreen. A real friendship takes roots among peers. It is peer pressure that helps one grow and develop a well rounded personality. Friendship promotes happiness.

Happiness accelerates development of personality. When your personality develops at an even pace, it makes you happy. Thus development and happiness are inter-dependent. One is tempted to use the cliché, “develop from womb to tomb.” If one’s personality is static, one will be bereft of happiness on this count. In order to keep the pace of development even and progress smooth one may diversify after one reaches the plateau. One should not have the temptation to say that enough is enough. Let your energy be channelised into more meaningful activities and results will indeed be rewarding. If the circumstances are adverse and going on is hard, remember the saying, “when the going gets tough, the tough get going”. You will be on road to success before you know it. Good luck!

There may be a need to keep on reminding ourselves that happiness is to be achieved. Happiness is not offered to a man or a woman on a silver platter. One who wishes to be happy has to have competence in one’s interaction at place of work, in the house or in a place of relaxation like the club. One should be socially efficient. And social efficiency is not impossible to achieve. One has to strive for it. Interaction with the society you live in is helpful in achieving excellence. Your own Family is the basic unit of the society. If members of the family are contented and satisfied with each other, their mutual interaction will generate genuine happiness in abundance. The entire society will be the beneficiary. Indeed, no man is an island. Let us give back to the society more than what we get from it. The world will be a happier place to live in.

Fearlessness may be described as the foundation of monumental happiness. Many a time we tend to harbour fear of the unknown. There is no ground for fear and yet one suffers from an anxiety that something untoward may happen. There is no reason to be apprehensive and yet one entertains unfounded apprehension. Obviously it detracts us from the pursuit of happiness. By the way, the founding fathers of the United States of America had enshrined some inalienable rights in the Declaration of Independence that, inter alia, contained “Pursuit of Happiness”. The Atharvaveda emphasizes the importance of fearlessness in attaining happiness when it says: “May fearlessness come to us from friends and foes alike, from the known ones and the unknown ones. May we not be shackled by apprehensions by day or by night. Let all be our friends!” Indeed a total absence of fear will help achieve perfect peace of mind for ideal Happiness.