HAPPINESS...

A smile is not as much the outcome of being happy, as it is the cause.

Leave behind the passive dreaming of a rose-tinted future. The energy of happiness exists in living today with roots sunk firmly in reality’s soil.

One cannot expect to become happy without hardship or effort. Because we challenge ourselves we become strong. To become strong is to become happy.

The exclusive pursuit of one’s own interests cannot bring true happiness. It is in striving for the sake of others that the great path to genuine happiness is opened.

Happiness doesn’t exist on the far side of distant mountains. It is within you, yourself. Not you, however, sitting in idle passivity. It is to be found in the vibrant dynamism of your own life as you struggle to challenge and overcome one obstacle after another, as you clamber up a perilous ridge in pursuit of that which lies beyond.

When seen from the perspective of life’s true value, whether a person is rich or poor is a marginal issue at best. The truly impoverished are those who are wealthier than others who take themselves too seriously and look down upon the less affluent. Happiness will never be a handout; it’s something we create with our own hands.

If you want to build a happy life, you have to give careful thought to the foundations. Happiness certainly cannot be secured on appearances or affectation. Happiness comes down to the inner state of our life at a given moment.