If someone asked me what the secret is to being happy I would lovingly say, “Being happy!” It really is that simple. Abraham Lincoln said “Most folks are about as happy as they make up their minds to be.” and he was right. Yeah, ok, but how? In the middle of everything we have going on, how do we stay happy. Really, truly happy?
For me, the key to happiness is finding joy in every day life. When we can do that, nothing will ever be missing, and we will always* be happy. (See below for the *)
So when someone asks me what the secret is to being happy, I first say “Being happy!” and then I say, “…and buy this book, it will tell you how!” The book is Peace Is Every Step by Thich Nhat Hahn. Thich is a Buddhist Zen master and a peace activist. He is one of the most beautiful, peaceful, happy people to ever walk the earth.
Peace Is Every Step teaches us how to find beauty, joy and wonder in the world around us. It also teaches us how to stay peaceful and balanced amid both expected and unexpected challenges. The book is written in very short, easy to read chapters.
If you can read and practice this book, you will find happiness.
* Is it possible to always be happy? No. This is earth and we are here to learn lessons. When we get to Heaven we will always be happy. In the meantime, though, we can learn to stay happy and peaceful through more and more of those lessons. We can do that by practicing Peace in Every Step.