KISS - Keep it simple, stupid!
I am sure I have mentioned this before in my earlier posts, but I feel it so much I need to repeat myself ....
While I am all in favor of loving one's own self and building strong self-esteem - I think that's critical- but I also think, that sometimes, we take ourselves far too seriously and unnecessarily complicate our lives.
This blog is my partner as I travel on the road to happiness and peace via the simplicity route!
Recently,I was in Disneyland, Paris and one of the best things I brought back from there was the sheer glee, joy and unadulterated happiness that I saw in the eyes of the little kids and some not-so-little ones when a Mickey or Pluto danced past them. For them, it was as real as it could be, for they believed and it made them happy. Simple. No doubts, no suspicion, just plain innocence or belief that brought on sheer joy...
We see that all the time in kids around us...their happiness in doing simple, maybe even mindless, things.
But I also see that we seem to lose that knack as we grow older..... "maturity" some would call it, I guess.....but that doesn't really work for me, not always. That's why I try and do something just for "fun" as often as I can - I think I had written about it earlier - I believe we all should build it into our daily routines...like yoga. It's important for our minds and souls.
I think that as we grow older, we start to take ourselves far too seriously and the so-called measures of "success" and "happiness" that goes around pushes us to "conform"... Yes, one's responsibilities naturally grow with age and as one gradually moves along life's journey and yes, one accordingly needs to "settle" down and "deal" with real issues, make life choices and decide how one would like to steer his or her ship.
But why does one also need to lose sight of those simple joys in life along the way? Why does one have to add complexity to just about everything? I fight this - desperately - even at the risk of being labelled "immature" or "childish".....infact, I don't consider "childish" to be negative in its connotation at all!
If raindrops gave me pleasure when I was a little girl as I loved splashing in the water and getting my shoes wet, if rain made me feel romantic and happy in my youth, as I wandered around with my beloved - how come that same rain today highlights to me only the inconveniences that it invariably brings about - traffic, delay in getting to wherever, water-logging, maladministration, corruption, cynicism.....Whoa!!!! What happened? How did I change so much?
Thankfully, I have not - Phew!
And I have no plans too, either! I believe that is what allows me to be happy, atleast a lot happier than many I see around - I still have not forgotten the simple pleasures of life, the joys I can still derive from many small things around me.....actually, these simple pleasures today lift my soul when it is tired and low. My parameters of happiness have thankfully not got too complicated as yet.
Today was an example: 3 small simple things lifted my somewhat battered spirit, made me happy, added a zing to my steps today:
Someone who smiles, loves and dreams
in Dubai Marina
Sept 23, 9:47 pm
While I am all in favor of loving one's own self and building strong self-esteem - I think that's critical- but I also think, that sometimes, we take ourselves far too seriously and unnecessarily complicate our lives.
This blog is my partner as I travel on the road to happiness and peace via the simplicity route!
Recently,I was in Disneyland, Paris and one of the best things I brought back from there was the sheer glee, joy and unadulterated happiness that I saw in the eyes of the little kids and some not-so-little ones when a Mickey or Pluto danced past them. For them, it was as real as it could be, for they believed and it made them happy. Simple. No doubts, no suspicion, just plain innocence or belief that brought on sheer joy...
We see that all the time in kids around us...their happiness in doing simple, maybe even mindless, things.
But I also see that we seem to lose that knack as we grow older..... "maturity" some would call it, I guess.....but that doesn't really work for me, not always. That's why I try and do something just for "fun" as often as I can - I think I had written about it earlier - I believe we all should build it into our daily routines...like yoga. It's important for our minds and souls.
I think that as we grow older, we start to take ourselves far too seriously and the so-called measures of "success" and "happiness" that goes around pushes us to "conform"... Yes, one's responsibilities naturally grow with age and as one gradually moves along life's journey and yes, one accordingly needs to "settle" down and "deal" with real issues, make life choices and decide how one would like to steer his or her ship.
But why does one also need to lose sight of those simple joys in life along the way? Why does one have to add complexity to just about everything? I fight this - desperately - even at the risk of being labelled "immature" or "childish".....infact, I don't consider "childish" to be negative in its connotation at all!
If raindrops gave me pleasure when I was a little girl as I loved splashing in the water and getting my shoes wet, if rain made me feel romantic and happy in my youth, as I wandered around with my beloved - how come that same rain today highlights to me only the inconveniences that it invariably brings about - traffic, delay in getting to wherever, water-logging, maladministration, corruption, cynicism.....Whoa!!!! What happened? How did I change so much?
Thankfully, I have not - Phew!
And I have no plans too, either! I believe that is what allows me to be happy, atleast a lot happier than many I see around - I still have not forgotten the simple pleasures of life, the joys I can still derive from many small things around me.....actually, these simple pleasures today lift my soul when it is tired and low. My parameters of happiness have thankfully not got too complicated as yet.
Today was an example: 3 small simple things lifted my somewhat battered spirit, made me happy, added a zing to my steps today:
- One was a happy news that a dear friend had managed to achieve something he had set his heart on, for the good of many others - a success for him, that really has no bearing on me...but because I had witnessed his struggle, his success made me happy - truly.
- Second was another conversation with another dear friend about a funny visual that made us laugh together, connect - be happy - truly, even if momentarily.
- Finally, a lot of today was spent planning upcoming festivities and that in itself was so energizing - but only if you allow yourself to flow in the fervor as I did.
That set the mood for the day and I genuinely felt happy....and I realized once again, that we really don't need much to be happy - truly happy. We don't always need that new dress, those new shoes, that vacation, the ROI on our investments, that X amount in our banks and likewise...yes, all of this surely helps but we should not tie ourselves only to these - to be truly happy.
Let's not forget the simple joys of love, friendship, beauty, Nature that used to give us so much joy when we were younger .....let's go back to the basics .....but like most things, it has to be a conscious choice these days as everything around you seems to nudge the other way!
Let's not forget ..
- to smell the roses
- to feel the rain
- to experience the joy of a unplanned coffee catch up with dear friends
- to savor the sublime pleasure of gifting to our families, small things that money cannot buy
- to laugh at silly jokes and hear the sound come from your stomach
- to be crazy once in a while and do something you always wanted to, but didn't dare to because others thought it was "childish"
- to keep our measures of "happiness", simple and basic
It's really not that difficult, stupid! Don't complicate it.
Someone who smiles, loves and dreams
in Dubai Marina
Sept 23, 9:47 pm
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