Happiness is something all of us are striving for. All of us want to experience happiness and a sense of well-being. But most of us look for happiness in the wrong places.
External Focus
We often seek pleasure and happiness in things that outside us – success, wealth, possessions and relationships. These things fascinate most people.
But, once the situation changes or the novelty wears off, our minds experience varying degrees of dissatisfaction. We again try to relieve this by looking at other things that can bring us happiness. While the problem is inside, we keep looking outside.
Good relationships, meaningful work and health do provide comfort but what if the situation changes? Even what we’ve strived to achieve may not bring us the lasting satisfaction and happiness we expect.
This means happiness is an inner state of being, and not just a function of external conditions. The mind has inherent qualities of well-being that lie deeper.
Meditation can help us unlock and access our own happiness and well-being. The more we practice, the more we rely on our inner world rather than external situations for our happiness. But an access to this treasure requires an inward focus and training. A mindfulness meditation practice can bring more meaning and satisfaction to our lives.
If we can learn to access our internal happiness and well-being, it would be the greatest achievement no one can take from us.