Hacking Happiness

Do you see what I see? Definitely not! Even if we all look at the SAME thing, at the SAME moment, we cannot see the SAME thing. If we remove the scientific angle from the explanation and only try to understand the philosophical or experiential angle, we would know that it is impossible for two people to look at things in the precisely the same way. How we experience things, places and people around us depends on our past experiences, our mental status and a lot other internal things. Though we can try to relate with others around us in a similar settings, we never know what they must be feeling exactly, sometimes they themselves don't know. Having difference of opinion is completely normal, very rarely it will be the case that two individuals can completely agree on something, and we should understand and respect that without any ego or negative perception. We all have a different life philosophy, different goals, different learnings, We all cross paths with each other for a short ...

Look at that guy he is such a pathetic looser! Look at that girl, Doesn't she belong in the zoo? Mr. X is such an egoistic person, he can't stand a simple NO. Miss Y knows nothing about her job, how come she is still in the business? There is definitely some intention behind his acts, How can anyone be so kind? Is he really good, or is he pretending to be good? How come he/she is successful and I am not? He/She must be a people pleaser for sure! How often do we jump to conclusions like these? I would say every now and then. We as humans have made it our life's goal to be more interested in others lives than our own, and it is one of the core reasons why we all feel lagging behind at most of the times. Gossiping has been credited as the driving force behind the development of languages in the book- Sapiens by Yuval Noah Harari , and I think it is true.  The pleasure that we all get discussing other people's problem trumps any other daily pleasures that we enjoy on day to...

"I am not who you think I am; I am not who I think I am; 𝐈 𝐚𝐦 𝐰𝐡𝐨 𝐈 𝐭𝐡𝐢𝐧𝐤 𝐲𝐨𝐮 𝐭𝐡𝐢𝐧𝐤 𝐈 𝐚𝐦" Yes! read it again, and let it sink in for a while. This quote by Thomas Cooley says a lot about how we perceive and judge our own selves. How we indulge in the act of being liked, praised and recognized by others and how we lose our own identities to become someone who after a point doesn't resemble the real us. We all start out with a dream, a dream that makes our eyes shine, which makes us all welcome the rising sun, But as we grow up, we let go of those dreams and start doing things that would make our parents, relatives, neighbors or even strangers proud. We shed the wings of our desires only to rest in the safe nests, we get so trapped within our own minds, that we neglect to see the real world. We give up our dreams of a lifetime, just so that some people will one day pat our back. But is it really worth it? Is it really worth to live for an identity...

The simple answer would be a Yes! But before concluding that meditation helps us in coping with the negative thoughts and prepares us to be more stable and calm in the event of adversity, Let's try to figure out what Meditation is and how should we use it for the betterment of our mental health. What is general perception about Meditation? Usually people start doing meditation with an aim of attaining a state of thoughtlessness or to forget that they are troubled by their thoughts. This makes it really hard for them to meditate as they are constantly trying to do something which is just opposite of what meditation really means. What is Meditation? Put in the simplest terms, Meditation is the state where you become an observer and let go of your tendencies as a doer. Meditation doesn't mean that you will not have any thoughts, or you should not have any thoughts, it means to observe every passing thought with a simplest view. You don't have to react to these thoughts, you do...

Trying too hard to fit-in in any group, community, society or network can often lead to a feeling of being left alone. It can also be pointed as one of the reasons behind people feeling lonely or unacceptable at times. But, think it this way, Resistance is a very natural phenomenon, everything in nature resists change at every level. Change can only be brought upon with gradual and positive efforts, that's is the only way, or else it will feel like an act of suppression or intrusion. When we try too hard to fit in, we make ourselves vulnerable to others opinions, we do things which don't actually align well with our core nature, we try too hard for others to like us that at times we even start compromising our self esteem and self-belief for it. This act of getting validation from others and seeking a sense of belonging is what makes us feel lonely and sad when the expected feelings are not reciprocated from the other end. A few things which I can think of, which might help you...

At times being good to people can be really tiring and frustrating, even more, when people don't understand you or your emotions and keep on judging and furling negativity towards you in return. It is the real test that one has to pass, because when people are good to you, you will be good to them, but if you are good to others even when they are being totally absurd and negative in their behavior, one day it will make them change their perspective and see the goodness in you, just wait for that moment, because sooner or later it will arrive. As we had discussed before as well, that negativity doesn't need will power or force to exist in our lives, it is our natural tendency to get attracted towards negative thoughts and actions because of our mind's self defense mechanism which has evolved from being hunter gathers to living in a social environment. our mind's tendency is to clench to a negative thought and build a story around it, it helps the brain keep this body saf...

We all might have heard this story of a king who was defeated at war, abducted by his enemies and was put behind the bars for rest of his life. Then one day a mere spider taught him a lesson which changed his life forever. If you haven't heard or read it before, here is your chance- Long long ago there lived a king named - Paraakram. He was a brave warrior and a loved king. One who would share his resources with his friends, family and residents of his kingdom without any second thought. The neighboring kingdom was ruled by a wicked and cruel king, who was all about himself. He was hated by his own family and was regarded as the worst king of his time. Paraakram wanted to help the people of his neighboring kingdom by winning over the kingdom and merging it into his own. It was the only way out of suffering and misery for the people of kingdom. Paraakram finally decided to go on a war with the cruel king. He fought with full vigor and bravery on the field. One night when the war was...

I am brave I tell myself, for sure I can fight the feeling in my chest It's just a mere hiccup, or something that would last,  I Wonder! I need no one, that would be a lie I can't be alone in a crumbling nest But I can't hold on to you, you're addictive anxiety, when would you leave, I Wonder! I was once a happy man, who was confident and cool, now I am just stressed But I am not here to loose, Not this time Will I be happy, when you are gone I Wonder!

There was a man named Drishya. Drishya would always travel through the same route to his work, same scenery, same buildings, same road. While traveling he would always pass by a junction where the road had a small pit on the side, Not that he always had to go through the bumpy part, but he would always crib about the road condition. When he would reach that junction, he would always look at the pit and murmur to himself - ''This road is not good, I don't know why the govt. would not mend it for the betterment of people and society''. Besides that same pit there was a small patch where some flowers were planted, an unknown man would always come and water the plants so that they would bloom and present a refreshing view to the passerby's. Among all the flowers was a plant which was really rare and beautiful. It would bear flowers throughout the year and was exceptional to the area and region, not many people knew that it was rare and almost no one would admire the...