Reflections On The Secret To Happiness
The secret to happiness is not found in owning more material things, but in being content, feeling abundant, and being able to appreciate what you’ve already got as being more than enough. True happiness lies in simplifying things, reducing your possessions, and being able to enjoy living with less. Being able to enjoy life as it is and as it comes, not only if and when you have more things and then newer versions of them.
During this strange period that the global pandemic has brought us, we have been given a rare gift; the gift of time. Something you can’t earn or buy or own, but something which technically makes for a much richer life, just in a different way than you’re used to.
Being rich in time is something we have all dreamed of. How many times a day did you used to think or say ‘I don’t have enough time for…’?
More Time For Yourself
Having more time in the day opens up space for you to spend more time on yourself and others around you, building real moments and memories. Instead of rushing and stressing about not having enough time to work hard enough to earn enough money to buy enough things that in the wide scheme of things are not truly fulfilling, and are in all honesty (my new favorite phrase) ‘non-essential’.
Many people get to the point after a fast-paced life where they begin to realize nothing they own and not many of their relationships actually feel meaningful or light them up. It usually takes a huge transformation for them to realize how good the simpler things in life are, like how good simple, home-cooked food tastes and feels in the body; how calming nature can be; how less clutter and getting rid of things you don’t need or use can be mentally cleansing; the list goes on.
How wealthy do you want to be? We will all answer this differently at different stages of our lives but we will all eventually come to realize that being rich in things like time, love, trust, laughter, connection, joy and gratitude feels so much better and brings so many more authentic experiences than material things that we soon get bored of and replace.
Use this time to focus on what matters and perhaps spend some time reframing your goals and your definition of what makes a successful and wealthy life.
Don’t do things too attached to an outcome, or with too much expectation. What is meant to be will work itself out naturally, however, and whenever it is meant to. Often the outcome you do experience is more appropriate and better beyond your imagination. Practice non-attachment. Let go a little and be open to any outcome, not just the ones you most desire, and you’ll experience less frustration, less stress, less desperation, less disappointment, and more freedom, positivity, and gratitude. You’ll feel more understanding, more accepting, and less bothered when things don’t “go to plan”
Let’s talk about minimalism.
I’m a minimalist through and through and, whilst I like things and, like most people, own far more than I need, I’m truly happiest and most content with very little.
Traveling always brings me back to a simpler, more minimal way of life. I pack only the essentials into 1 or 2 bags and leaving everything else behind feels incredibly freeing. It’s all clutter, really. Nice clutter, but not necessarily essential for survival or our wellbeing.
A lyric from one of my favorite songs is ‘the less you own the more freedom you have and I really resonate with that. Without getting too morbid, we come here with nothing and leave with nothing, so all the yearning and wanting and the physical things in between are actually quite pointless and only increase our desires, setting an endless cycle and making it hard to ever feel content and happy with what we’ve got. You’ll never be happy if you always want more, newer, or nicer things, or if you always want something you don’t have that someone else does.
The key to happiness is being content and grateful for what you’ve got, and knowing that it is enough. In this respect, owning less things is so good for your mental health.
If you often desire new or more things, ask yourself, why do you want the things you want?
There is often a deeper meaning, something within yourself that you lack and want to cover up or satisfy with nice things. It might be insecurity, it might be self-worth, it might just be jealousy or envy, or the need to have control, but material possessions won’t suppress or change this, and when the momentary feelings of joy subside you’ll be back to square one, stuck with a sense of lack.
Search for and obtain more of the things you can’t see and less of the things you can. That is, things like love, joy, happiness, bliss, calmness, freedom, gratitude, pleasure.. feelings, emotions, memories; these things rarely fade, feel much better, and last for much longer than physical belongings. Buy things that you truly love and/or need, but don’t depend on them or expect them to bring genuine happiness.
