HAPPINESS is a prime-time pursuit for many of us and we strive to unearth this feel-good "endorphin" in a myriad of ways.

Some of us get this natural high by building up a loving and cohesive family. Others do it by putting their hearts and souls into establishing ultra-successful careers.

Yet there are those who experience extreme joy when they excel in a sport or an area of interest which they are passionate about.

Then, there is a group of people out there who see beyond themselves and is happiest when serving the less fortunate and giving back to the community.

Different strokes for different folks, you might say?

Consider the Chinese saying, "If you want happiness for an hour - take a nap. If you want happiness for a day - go fishing. If you want happiness for a year - inherit a fortune. If you want happiness for a lifetime - help someone else."

This implies that happiness can be experienced and embraced in both transient and sustainable forms.

It can be achieved by doing things to enhance our personal well-being, or by going out into the world and doing things that benefit others.

Well-known deaf-blind American author Helen Keller wrote: "Happiness cannot come from without. It must come from within. It is not what we see and touch or that which others do for us which makes us happy; it is that which we think and feel and do, first for the other fellow, and then for ourselves."

Happiness is a state of mind that resides deep within us.

When we first meet someone, we unconsciously form an impression of them, albeit one very much on the surface level.

In many cases, however, what you see may not be the reality.

A story is told about a man who saw a psychologist and said to him: "Doctor, I always feel depressed. No matter what I do, I still feel depressed and just don't know what to do."

The psychologist pointed outside and said: "There is a clown in particular who is extremely funny. He will make you rock with laughter over and over again. Go and watch that clown and I guarantee you will not have any reason to be depressed again!"

The man turned to the psychologist with sad eyes and said:

"Doctor, I am that clown!"

I am at times guilty of worrying too much about too many things that are still very distant.

Time and again, I have to be reminded to live for the moment.

I realise that when I do this, the things which I have been so paranoid about either do not unfold or get resolved in time.

A poem I stumbled upon recently puts it succinctly:

"Today is the tomorrow I worried about yesterday.

And today was such a lovely day.

That I wondered why I worried about today yesterday.

So today I am not going to worry about tomorrow.

There may not be a tomorrow anyway.

So today I am going to live as if there is no tomorrow.

And I am going to forget about yesterday."

Take heart, my friends - happiness does not necessarily have to come from striving for something we don't have. It can come from recognising and appreciating what we do.

myp@sph.com.sg

The writer is a senior vice-president of the SPH marketing division and the general manager of SPH NewMedia for Zapcode.

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