[00:02.89]The Paradox of Happiness
[00:05.37]Do you recall a time—let's say
[00:09.33]when you were about 5 years old—
[00:10.81]what defined happiness back then?
[00:13.29]Was it getting a puppy for Christmas? Or maybe,
[00:17.29]you were a child of divorce,
[00:19.53]and all you wanted was for Mom and Dad
[00:21.09]to get back together again?
[00:22.44]Then as you got older, you were hoping
[00:24.38]that someone would ask you to the prom
[00:26.27]that would've made your day,
[00:28.17]maybe your life for the moment. During college,
[00:31.56]good grades made you happy, but it was short-lived.
[00:34.07]Because in the real world, you had to look for a job,
[00:36.77]and competition was stark.
[00:39.01]It's an employer's world you thought.
[00:41.80]But then, you got the perfect job—
[00:44.24]now you could be happy—or could you?
[00:47.43]Life requires more than just what we want.
[00:50.22]Inevitably, one must understand to truly find “happiness”,
[00:54.58]he must make his own happiness “happen”.
[00:57.32]Sounds a bit redundant, but truthfully,
[01:00.08]there is no set guidelines that will bring one happiness.
[01:03.02]There is no “magic wand” we can wave
[01:05.41]to bring joy into our lives.
[01:07.30]Human nature thrives on the thrill of the chase.
[01:10.33]We dream and we hope for the next big area—
[01:13.86]it is the grand adventure of living.
[01:16.13]We are hopeless creatures of comfort.
[01:18.53]We like having and accumulating things.
[01:21.68]Whether one admits to it or not, to a certain degree,
[01:24.90]we all try to “keep up with the Jones”.
[01:27.33]We work so we can pay our rents, mortgages,
[01:30.42]credit card debts, school loans, car payments...
[01:33.44]the list goes on and on. And at some point,
[01:37.30]we realize, that aside from having most of what we want,
[01:40.10]we still aren't happy. Now since we've learned to
[01:43.73]adapt to new standards which we've created for ourselves,
[01:46.46]we find that we have less time, less patience,
[01:49.93]less sleep, which equates to more stress,
[01:52.50]more worry and more aggravation.
[01:54.71]So, is happiness honestly just comprised of “things”?
[01:58.85]Sometimes, we virtually read our lives for
[02:01.76]not only basic necessities, but for excessive items
[02:05.46]and services as well. We become so obsessed
[02:08.15]with finding happiness, that we lose sight of the fact
[02:11.95]that happiness is within—always.
[02:13.44]Certainly you've heard of individuals
[02:16.85]trying to “find themselves”,
[02:18.24]or “rediscover themselves”.
[02:20.12]The reason they are attempting these innovative approaches
[02:22.91]is because they are seeking inner happiness.
[02:25.24]But the point has been missed:
[02:27.42]happiness is already there.
[02:29.35]Disappointments and tragedies in life will come and go,
[02:32.49]but happiness never leaves you.
[02:34.75]The human's capacity to be resilient to
[02:37.99]difficulties is unfathomable.
[02:39.75]We can lose our jobs, but be grateful for our spouses.
[02:43.97]We can lose our homes to nature,
[02:46.33]but be thankful to be alive.
[02:48.41]Happiness is a perception of each individual.
[02:51.53]We are instincively compelled to find fault in our lives.
[02:55.78]By human nature, we begin our “fault-finding” mission
[02:59.24]the moment we're capable of free-thinking.
[03:01.30]It is then, that we lose sense of self-worth
[03:03.91]and the bigger picture of vitality altogether.
[03:06.71]Stuck in the patterns of the happiness paradox,
[03:10.01]we simply cannot find where our happiness has gone.
[03:13.13]It's not a matter of bargaining,
[03:15.42]it's not an issue of money or fame—
[03:17.72]instead,happiness is what you resolve to accept.
[03:21.11]If we live through optimistic hope;
[03:23.62]if we dare to dream; if we empower ourselves to fully live;
[03:28.14]then we have regained our sense of happiness.
[03:30.86]There is no in-between. There is no other replacement.
[03:34.71]We only have one physical life to live.
[03:37.70]We have no choice but to make the most of it.
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