We are obsessed with measuring and finding happiness. We want nothing more than to distill it into achievable steps so we can check “happy” off our to-do list.
We study books, research and lifestyle blueprints, hoping that if we copy what happy people do, happiness will somehow follow. But what if none of that works?
Happiness isn’t something we can find outside ourselves. True happiness comes from living consciously, from being aware of our choices and their consequences, and from an inner peace that only we can cultivate for ourselves.
The more we search for happiness, the more it eludes us, because it’s not a destination. It is a state of being within us.
So here are my five steps:
1. Just look — notice the beauty outside as well as within you.
2. Just listen — hear the constant chatter and the deafening silences.
3. Just taste — discern the sweetness, sourness, saltiness, bitterness, and umami.
4. Just breathe — take even inhalations and exhalations.
5. Just be… happy.
