One of my personal favorite quotes, or rather, story came from this extremely inspirational piece.

"When I was 5 years old, my mother always told me that happiness was the key to life.
When I went to school, they asked me what I wanted to be when I grew up. 
I wrote down 'happy'.
They told me I didn't understand the assignment, and I told them they didn't understand life".

Quote: John Lennon


It is such a simple story yet the meaning it contained was far more than what most of us would imagine.

It would seem as though it is just straightforward; it is all about being happy and that is life in itself.




Being happy means living one's life.
Being happy means putting a smile on one's face.
Being happy is all that it is to life.

Thus everyone embarks on their own search and definition of happiness.
Everyone has their own standards and their own interpretation of the meaning of happiness.

For some it may mean fulfillment of their personal goals and ambitions.
For some it may mean being with that person they love all the time.
For others it may be having everything that they ever wanted and doing nothing at all to achieve that.
There are maybe those who just want to be able to smile all the time.

Happiness is all about how we see it, and what it really means to us.

Many may think that it is just seemingly routine, and set out in pursuit of happiness, or rather, aim for it their entire life because simply, they just want to have a happy life.

Well, who doesn't?

Happiness is as said, the key to life yet it is really not as simple as one thought for the many definitions and perceptions lying out there.

What makes you happy may not be what makes me happy.

Perhaps just watching that sun rise from the horizons despite the long hours of waiting could be my definition of happiness, but not for the folks who had to drag themselves out of bed to accompany me. They could loathe that thought of sunrise, just by the mere mention of it.
I'm just saying.

No one can really tell us what is happiness, or what makes us happy, but ourselves.

Do not rely on others to make us happy, but rather, it is our own responsibilities.
No one knows what makes us happy, so how can we expect them to?

But most of all, do we really know what makes us happy?

Also, is our happiness the only one that really matters?

Is Happiness all about ourselves?

What if our happiness could mean misery for others?
Will that still make us happy?

Most importantly, is Happiness really just all about a smile or a laughter?

Is it really just that simple?

It can be as simple or as complicated as it gets, or as we make it to be.

Finding happiness may sound like a crazy task, but it is in truth something we are in pursuit of every waking second yet it has become so mundane that we no longer realize it.

We are pursuing happiness yet we do not know what happiness truly is, because we are never content when we find it.

So, is happiness really that straightforward after all?

If it is, it won't really be defined as the key to life, don't you think?

Take some time and think of the term, and that meaning of Happiness to you personally.

What makes you Happy?
What makes you think it's real Happiness?
Have you found it?
Are you Happy?
If not, Why NOT?

The pursuit of happiness sounds like nothing to an adult, because we always perceive it as part of life and nothing to go after for.

But really, we all know nothing about happiness or life, as a five year old pointed out.

Happiness is key, but make it a wholesome happiness and throw in that tiny bit of gratitude.
Happiness is not about only oneself, but also about those around us.

Be mindful and you will find that happiness will present itself.

It is always there, we just need to acknowledge it.

You will surprised with that bucketful which was there, all the time.
You just need to LOOK at it.



It is as simple as just a Smile at yourself and then at those around you.

Define your own Happiness and just make sure it is not of harm to others.


Be HAPPY, and spread that happiness because we always have a bucketful and after all, what is Happiness without that sharing?

Chinese New Year, or the Lunar New Year is always the anticipated festive season throughout the year among the Chinese communities.

Happiness is a state of mind.

Happiness is a state of mind.
We can choose to be happy, or we can choose, well, not to be.
Whichever way we choose; it is all about what we want to tell our mind to believe.

A little cliche; true, but it is not far away from the truth.

Many of us want to believe that we want to be happy, that we would choose to be happy if we can, and then bam, things happen, and we are thrown into that black hole which just seem to be sucking all that high spirits and our spiraling mood into it and then all of a sudden, we are back to square one.
Void.

It is easy to say we are happy, because we have everything we need in life and we will never understand the people who have had it hard in their lives.
We will never understand how it's really like when we have only a few dollars, or not even a dime to spare, and had no idea how to survive the week with that limited cash or wondering where we will be sleeping the next night, and we can't say we do out of empathy for the people we see living lives like that.
These are the true stories of reality, and there is no way on earth we can ever say we understand.
We don't.

However, it is not true that one should choose to brood over the harsh way life is treating them.
While not everyone is blessed with good fortunes and great things in life, it does not mean that life deprived them of their choice to be happy.
After all, how are we exactly sure that the ones having all that they wanted in life are truly happy and have found their ending point of satisfaction?

The truth is, there is never an answer for that.
Those who don't have it, will always wish for those things they want to have.
Those who have it, will wish for more or wonder why people want what they have when they are not fulfilled by the things they have themselves.
It is a never ending vicious circle and is not one for any one of us to say which prevails over the other.

The main point I am highlighting here is, happiness is simply not defined by the things around us.
It is not about having more things than others; or living less than perfect.
It is not about being rich, being smart, or having something others could only long for.
It is not about having a stable job or a house, or a car.
True, these materials could be the milestones to building your happiness but they don't define it.

Simply put, happiness is anything but defined by everything around us.
Happiness is defined ONLY by ourselves.
We choose to be Happy.
We want to be Happy.
We see things in a way that makes us happy.
We must see the joy that happiness brings.

It is WE who defines happiness; not the other way round, nor by other factors around us.
One can choose to be happy when things go wrong, simply because we don't allow things to step into our choice to be Happy.
We can have a bad hair day, but we can choose to laugh over it.
We can be wearing the wrong shoes to work, but we can smile at the reasons we wore the wrong shoes and start admiring the shoes which we probably haven't worn in a while.
We can have a huge argument with someone we love, but we can choose to step back, apologize, hug and just laugh over the silly names we just called each other.
We can feel devastated at the loss of an item, a loved one, but smile at the memories which once touched our hearts. We can even pray for that loved one that they are now in a far better place and they are looking down at us.

Life is not always going to be perfect, or promising us a smooth road ahead.
We can choose to see the perfection in the imperfections, but it is US who can tell our minds to do so.
I have seen many who have made these changes in their mindset and have since lived a far more satisfying life.
It is not to say there is no complaint but simply, sometimes it is just the way we look at it.

Happiness is indeed, a state of mind.
We control that state, we control that mind.
We can fill our minds with happy thoughts or just allow the dark clouds to sink in and stay for eternity.
We can choose to look at the positive side of things.
We can be happy, if we choose to be.

Happiness is all about our choices.
Happiness is all about that smile we give ourselves.
Simply because, we owe ourselves that much to be Happy for ourselves.

So when life gives you lemons, we just make a hell out of a lemonade and enjoy the sweet and squeal at the sour citrus taste yet inhale the fresh exciting citrusy scent at the same time.
Now, doesn't that bring a whole new light of perspective into that whole lemons and lemonade philosophy?

I am sure we all enjoy a little bit of lemonade once in a while.

And we can never enjoy the rainbow without a little rain pouring in sometime, right?

Be Happy, because of, just because of :-)

We have all heard this; Let Go - Let Go of things that are holding us back.
Let it go, let them leave our lives so that we can move on.
Don't hold on to the past, grudges; let bygones be bygones.
Focus on the present; tomorrow and be ready to welcome what the future holds.
Let go, let it go.
There's even a song popularized by the children's animated movie, Frozen produced by Walt Disney lately.
Let it go, let the past be the past...just let things go.

More often than not, we are often told to let go and that the reason we are bound by our sorrows and misery is because we are just holding on to the things to our dear life.
We are afraid, so afraid that we are just going to lose things and we guard, we protect, we defend with all our might our precious belongings - the seen and the unseen.
Letting go of all that baggage is the only way one can find happiness.

If it is that easy, why is it that these words are repeating itself and finding its way into websites, books, or every possible corner to remind us all the time?

It's because, being human beings, we just Can't Let Go.

There are so many things that have come into our lives; and define our identities into who we really are today.
We have come into this world naked, except for that amniotic fluid covering all over our body as we forced open those eyes and mouth to make ourselves heard with that first cry.
We came with nothing; not clothed, penniless and even, nameless.
We had nothing until we were slapped with tags of names, blood types, parental/bloodline establishments; all of which were presented, or rather, just thrown to us and stuck like adhesives for the rest of our lives.
Then we are clothed, fed, provided with toys, books, education, and all that we needed for us to grow up healthily and happily.

The attachments to our lives grew in numbers and in an exponential and continuous trend over the years. It will keep growing until the day, well, we leave the world, and then though clothed as we are in our best, when we close that eyes, we leave our bodies with nothing. Just the way we came.

In that case, Why then, can't we let go?
End of the day, we came with nothing, and we are going to leave with nothing at all.
It does not matter how rich we are, or how much we know about the great universe - in the end, they are not going to come with us as we leave.

It is a theology widely spread and preached by all the religions, and teachings to help everyone to take things a little less harshly and to breathe their way to happiness but yet, this simple yet profound philosophy has made its way into complexity in all of our minds.
It has become unorthodox and somewhat unfathomable in our minds that we choose to ignore or just let it slide into the dark shadows that we leave behind.
It is of no importance to us, yet it is that simple answer for all that extra and unnecessary baggage we are carrying (subconsciously) on our backs, bringing us the pain, the weight, the worries and all that anxiety bogging us down in our lives.
We may deny it and we may even shake our heads vigorously when we are told that we are unhappy because we are simply not letting go, and we walk away, turning away in contempt and disbelief that someone should suggest to us, to just let go of all that we have achieved and have in our lives.

It is for this simple reason, that this famous saying is just reaching its height (and weight) in price.
We are holding on to too many things in life; wealth, status, family, relationships, love, our prized possessions, our perspectives/views/beliefs that we are continuously furnishing our minds and souls with.

I for one, can relate to that; for I, just like all of you out there is just a normal human being, that same mortal you spot traipsing everywhere all over the face of the earth.

One of the biggest challenge, and also the major illusion clouding our eyes is simply "Pride".
Everything we have, aim for revolves around this word.
We are just so proud of who we are, who we have become and who we can become that we have let pride creep into our lives, and it is there, just settling comfortably.

Our pride has gotten the better of us.
We are proud we have made it.
We are proud that we have more money to spend.
We are proud that we have aced that paper.
We are proud that we have made it through school and university/colleges.
We are proud that we own that new product that everyone was vying for.
We are proud that we work in that multinational corporation everyone was dying to get in.
We are proud that we have achieved and tasted multiple successes.
We are proud that we have found our partners.

Admit it, we are just so darn proud that we sometimes let it get over our heads.
It is this pride that formed that formidable barricade to comprehend that concept of letting go.

I can definitely attest to various things that have somehow clouded my mind and kept me on that cloud nine for some time.
In fact, I am one of those who simply just can't let go of the many things I have.
I can't let go of my achievements.
I can't let go of my possessions.

It is Not easy, and nobody ever said it was.

It takes years of realization, and sad to say, some never even came to this realization and lived their whole life hanging onto the things and even cost their lives.
We could be holding on to that bitter episodes in our lives where others may have crossed us and we allowed resentment to settle.
We hold on to that anger, that hatred and refused to let those who have hurt us into our lives.
We hold on to that happiness which once settled and have since passed, and we cry silent tears over how it left us, wondering whether we could turn back time to that ecstasy period.
We hold on to memories; things that were once wonderful and defined our youth and brood over the present.

We made that choice.
We choose to hold on and live in the past, when obviously we could live in the present.

Everyone tells us that; the great teachers of wisdom tell us that we should, we ought to let go.

Frankly, I have also come to this realization and am learning to let go.
It is definitely not easy; and there is no simple formula to guide us on how or where to start.
It comes from the heart and the will to make that change.
No one can tell us what to do; well, technically they are just words and sounds to the ears when one takes no heed of it at all.
We choose our own paths in lives.
We only have that undefined time to live our lives; and no one knows what is going to happen next or even if we will live till tomorrow (before the Earth opens up and swallows all of us alive).

It is hard to picture our lives without anything, but don't take it too literally and take our time in achieving that.
It came to me, and hit me that I could live more freely and happily if I start to let go of some of the things which are still holding me back.
Starting with past mistakes, anger, feelings of sadness, and things that others do to annoy me; I could choose to brood on it, or simply just let it slide like it did not even touched/bothered me at all.
It sounds simple, but yet it is not.

I want to breathe, and simply just see the world in a beautiful way.
I do not want to be bogged by the negative emotions and continue to be embroiled in meaningless tussles of worthless arguments.
I want to live freely, I want to be free of these strings tying me down and probably entangled in that knotted mess.

It is time to untangle myself from those strings.
It will take time, but I am ready to take my chances.
Are you?

To start, I will have to let go of the things which are holding me back and keeping me tied up in those incessant worries and anxieties.
I need to remove the hurdles in my mind, the mess and things that I hoard on to but no longer need in life
I need to allow my emotions to take a back seat and change the way I look at things.

These are just a few of the things which I could name for myself, and I have seen many others; be it in my life or in others and some are so common that I could even generalize in a short list (summary) based on my personal observation.

There are just the few key things which we are all (almost all mortals) hang on to dearly; as they have grown on us and they are the main reasons holding us back from being free.
It is so simple, and glaring at us so prominently that we have not recognized the threats in them (or because we just do not want to) all because of their presence have just been parts of our lives and that they are almost like the blood in our veins and the air that we breathe.

1. Money (wealth)
This is obvious; we need the moolah to survive.
In this materialistic world where everything thrives on $$$, going penniless is not acceptable and is not even coherent with the pace of life. No one can imagine going on with their lives without cash.
Ask the poor, who has only a few dollars to make the most of their lives by day and they will tell you what money means to them.
Ask the rich, and they will probably tell you that money can't buy happiness but tell them to give away their riches and beg on the streets, you will probably get sent out the door faster than the way you entered.
Money is everything to everyone; and not surprisingly, also the root of evil.
It just blinds us in ways we can't imagine.
However, how much do we really need, or is it a want rather than a need?

This is probably the #1 thing that most (almost ALL) of us cannot let go; yes, including religious leaders, and this leads to the next one...

2. Power 
Social status, our career, our capabilities and things that we have in our lives that we are proud of.
Material possessions like houses, cars, clothes, neatly pressed suits and that cosy office spaces with our titles and the way the society views us are just too wonderful to be true.
We have worked on all these; with our bare hands, sweat and tears to practically build what we have and own today.
Letting go of all these does not sound hard, it sounds almost next to impossible....that is, next to money/wealth..

3. Emotions
The past; the hurt, the anger, the disappointments all just build up and cast that dark shadows in our lives. We cannot live beyond that, we cannot comprehend the way things happened to make us miserable.
We are not ready to forgive or forget, we just cannot.
The ecstasy of the wonderful things that have happened in our lives; the emotions which stirred in our first loves, our accomplishments, our bright shining moments -we want to relive that.
We want those to last forever.


4. Pride
This just directly refers to ourselves.
We are just too proud of who and what we have become, that we simply cannot envision time without our achievements and successes.
We are the main barriers to ourselves.
We cannot let go because we are saying No to ourselves.
We are denying that fact over and over again..
And...why is that so?
We are proud, we want to be who we are, we have come a long way and why must we let go of all that?

The few things are vital and have been missed by the naked eye because we have been too blinded by ourselves and also that perfect visions we have conjured in our eyes.
We can never remember that we came with nothing.
In fact, as the Bible tells us, it was from ash we came.

What takes a lot away from something made of ash?
We have just put a lot of materials and accessories to make ourselves grand and continue to lust for more.

Nobody ever said it was easy...
That's why we only have that few great people who have made it to the honorable list of saints, prophets, etc.

I believe that the world will be much clearer and easier to breathe in once the strings are slowly freed.

Letting go, simply because I want to be Free
Letting go will just clear the mind and keep us happy

By Letting Go, we will no longer think of the negative or worry unnecessarily.

It is time....to let go...





Note: 
I am a Roman Catholic by faith, but I love inspiring quotes of wisdom and quoting from historical figures (even if they are of a different religious faith) did not mean that I was unsure of my religion.
Just for the record.