The Lost Gold Coin

andria

Many many years ago, I read a book (sorry, forgot the title) written by Andrew Matthews. One thing that I remember the most - 'Happiness is HERE, it's not somewhere OUT THERE.' But more often than not, we tend to treat happiness as if it's something far beyond our reach. We are the ones giving conditions to ourselves whereby we tend to behave this way - 'I will be happy ONLY IF/WHEN I have 1 million in my bank account...'

The question is - Do you think you will be really happy once you got the 1 million in your hands? Or more problems to come - taxes, family fighting for their rights, relatives, friends, people who may come and beg for help once they know you are rich, etc...

An uncle told me this - 'Whatever happens to you, it's YOU who will have to decide how you want to feel. It's your own perception on life. Everyday, YOU decide, whether you want to be HAPPY or not. It's how you LOOK at things. Be it good or bad, it's all in YOUR MIND...'

Places and people do not change us. If we ever change, it is not because the place or the person changes us. We change because WE CHOOSE to change. It is OUR RESPONSE. We choose our own responses. Places and people can influence, but no matter who or what influences us, NOTHING can change the way we feel inside UNLESS if we permit the change to take place. In other words, nothing in this universe can change how you feel inside. It's ALWAYS YOU. You control how you want to feel. So if you are stranded on a lonely island with nothing to bring, you will still feel happy if you let yourself be. You may decide to feel happy because you are at least, still alive.

Again an excerpt from Andrew Matthews's book - '2 prisoners are looking outside from behind the jail bar. one sees only mud, the other sees the stars...'

Something that I came across several weeks ago - 'Everything outside you, is an illusion. The only truth, is what you have, within you...'

Hence, that is why, it is very important to get to know your very own soul FIRST, before you try to get to know someone else's soul. Be brave and face your own demons, your innermost fears, your deepest vulnerability. That is why it is important to be face to face with the skeleton in your own closet, no matter how painful to you, it may be. Life is too short to live in fear... Don't you wanna break free? To finally accept, forgive and understand your very ownselves? To drop the stone that you have been carrying on your back, all this while? Until you cleanse your very own soul, you will always expect happiness to come from outside, when all this while, happiness is ALWAYS WITHIN.

No wonder most of us can't find our lost gold coins. Because we always look at the wrong places...


* 'Many people suffer because of expectations...' (Confucius)