The deepest desire we have is to be happy. Everything we do in life, directly or indirectly, and all the desires we fulfill, go to satisfying our need for being happy. And in spite of doing much and constantly ticking off items on our list of things to get and do, we still find ourselves happy at times, but largely left without the feeling of total happiness at all times. The answer lies in our understanding of our happiness quotient.

Our happiness quotient is a simple equation of the total number of desires fulfilled divided by the total number of desires we carry. We keep fulfilling numerous desires in the hope of increasing our happiness quotient, but if we are not mindful of simultaneously attending to reducing the denominator, the desires we harbour, a high happiness quotient will keep eluding us.

This does not mean we should not have ambition, aspiration, and goals. Life without a purpose can become meaningless. Being aware of our happiness quotient only means we take a step back to realign the way we live our lives.

Keeping things simple helps. The more we complicate things and move away from finding joy in the simple pleasures of life, the more pressure we put on ourselves.

Relooking at whether we are living in depth mode or width mode will make us realise much about ourselves. Doing many things all the time will not necessarily increase our happiness quotient. Doing few things but doing them really well will increase our happiness.

Being comfortable in living our own life is key. When we look at someone else’s life and start making that our desire, we first acquire a desire maybe not meant for us, spend our lives trying to fulfill it, and when we still don’t find lasting happiness, we come to the conclusion that it was probably not meant for us.

When the gratitude for the things we have achieved is greater than the frustration of the unfulfilled desires, our happiness quotient increases.

Asking ourselves the question – ‘ do I really want this?’ can help us unravel and realign many desires we may have mindlessly acquired.

And when we reflect on our own perspective and understanding of life, we will realise that life is about people. It is not how many things we collect, but it is the collection of experiences and relationships that increases our happiness quotient.

(Picture-small tangerines growing in our garden)