Happiness

I don't know if there really is a recipe for happiness... Everyone writes their own thoughts about achievement and fulfillment. Everyone has a preconceived opinion. How can we truly define this much-desired happiness and well-being?

Should we go along with what others think? Is there a magic formula for total fulfillment?

If I had all the answers to these questions, I'd already be very rich, because my secret, or discovery I should say, would be worth a lot of money! I've been on a long personal quest over the last few years. I've probably had more good and not-so-good experiences than the average person.

Condensing five lives into one has certainly allowed me to live life to the full and with intensity. But is this really the right way to live?

I came to be out of breath and exhausted trying to enjoy the moment. While travelling I was learning about life through cultures and people.

Many would say that travelers are always on the run! But is it really a flight or a thirst for discovery and infinite curiosity? Only the traveler has his answer, and it's up to him!

True travel is about finding what you can't find at home! You'll get answers, you'll make discoveries, you'll wonder about happiness.

A long time ago, I was told a Mexican fisherman story. It's about an American who meets a fisherman taking a nap on the beach in a coastal village. The American asks him why he doesn't go out to sea to get more fish instead of lazing on the shore. The fisherman replies that he'll go and catch what his family really needs to live on after his nap.

The American then asks him how he spends his free time. The Mexican replies that he naps with his wife, plays with his children, goes to see his friends in the evening and together they drink wine and play guitar... He's proud to say that he has a busy life!

The ambitious American strongly suggests that he should put in longer hours at sea to increase profits. With the profits, he suggested he buy a bigger boat, then another. Then he could open his own factory and finally leave his village for Mexico City, then New York, from where the company could be launched on the stock markets!

 The Mexican was stunned by the American's presentation and asked why he should do this.

The American candidly replies that with the millions he'd make, he could finally retire and live in a small coastal village, sleeping in, playing with the kids, fishing a little, napping with his wife, spending evenings drinking and playing guitar with his friends.

I didn't invent this story, although it's still relevant today. If we understand the essence, it's that happiness is found in keeping things simple, it's about finding joy in the heart. Everything else is an illusion! It's not in materialism that happiness really exists...

A major distinction I've made over the years is between two major philosophies: Eastern and Western. In the West, there's a belief or an ease of being that makes people split body and mind, whereas in the East it's all one. That's why people are perhaps more connected to their hearts.

What really counts is finding happiness! If everyone tried to be happy and find their joy, just imagine what a wonderful world we would all live in! I find my happiness in the little joys that life endlessly offers me! My secret is to live in the moment and enjoy every minute of it. I'm not saying I'm better than anyone else, but that's how I try to be. What about you? Are you happy?