Let’s
look at different reasons for people being unhappy. The possible reasons could
be 1. comparing their lives with their cousins and friends 2.not meeting their
high aspirations .3.worrying about things which are beyond their control. Let’s
look at each of them now.
People often compare their lives with their friends, cousins; neighbours, etc and are not happy with their life. We compare the brands of phone, watches, etc with others and feel dissatisfied with ourselves.
People often compare their lives with their friends, cousins; neighbours, etc and are not happy with their life. We compare the brands of phone, watches, etc with others and feel dissatisfied with ourselves.
To me
looking at people who are below us in terms of standard of living and taking a
cue from them looks like a possible solution. Let’s see the logic now.
Only 15
percent of the Indian population have access to mobile internet. People
in rural areas don’t have access to basic amenities such as electricity,
bathrooms; forget about broadband. Still, they are surviving in spite of all
these issues. I am not saying that you live like them but by comparing
your life with theirs you will feel satisfied with whatever you have. (You are
lucky to have access to electricity, broadband, etc and are amongst the top 10
percent of the Indian population in many ways.)
The
below quote can be followed as well “If the grass looks greener on the other
side, stop comparing and complaining; start watering the grass you are standing
on"
Buying
a branded product just because your friend has bought it may give temporary
happiness but it will lead to self deterioration in the larger scheme of things
as the comparison would be never ending.
People
aspire for materialistic things and feel unhappy for not meeting them. Will the
materialistic aspiration ever end? iPhone 5 becomes outdated on the launch of
iPhone 6 and so on. You will fall into vicious circle.How do you overcome this?
Let’s differentiate between need and luxury.Smart phone is a need whereas high
end phone is luxury. Its easy to enhance the standard of living at peak of your
earnings but difficult to reduce it.
The
other aspect is climbing up the ladder in professional life. In that you need
to aspire to become the likes of dhirubhai ambani, steve jobs, etc. Here you
need to aspire bigger .But one need to ensure that the feet are always on the
ground irrespective of the height achieved. Such a combination (professional
success with feet on ground) is a rarity and will get you more love and respect
than ever. Both Sachin and Warne were two gem of cricketers but Sachin gained
more respect because of his off field behavior.
Let’s
look at a classic example of worrying about things beyond our control. We all
are worried about salary hikes, bonus, promotions, etc.However, the things
which is in our control is our performance - doing work meticulously. If at all
you need to worry, get worried about these and the rest (bonus, hikes) will be
taken care of.
The
human life is God’s best gift to mankind and we should be happy with the
precious things we have got. Even if you have other reasons to feel
dissatisfied (destiny like accident; death) remember “even the darkest
night will end and sun will rise in the sky”. Smile; stay happy;none of the
situation is permanent.
(It’s purely my opinion and is not
meant to hurt anyone.)
