The Dalai Lama said, “Life is really simple, but we insist on making it complicated.” It is an excellent reminder to strive for simplicity in our lives. In this life, when all challenges are inevitable, we do not have a choice but to be gritty and learn to overcome things that are hard enough to surpass.
Sometimes, we are unconscious of our actions, making things complicated. But maybe that is how things work; you must complicate them before you realize they can be just as simple as ABC. You have to experience before you learn. I often hear from people that I look so happy and that maybe I do not have any problems in life. All of them are wrong. Just like each one of them, I carry problems in my personal, school, and work lives. Maybe I have mastered not mixing up my problems or what I am going through in my personal, school, or work life so as not to overwhelm myself and eventually affect others with my failure to control my emotions.
My ultimate takeaway from the talk on the Science of Happiness is that contentment and peace bring happiness. It was mentioned that there are three circuitries for happiness: calmness and contentment, excitement and drive, and connection and compassion. But I think it is fair to streamline these circuitries to contentment and peace.
When we are calm, we feel at peace, and we drive ourselves to be content with what is happening in front of us and accept that it needs to happen. When we are excited and full of drive, we feel at peace knowing that we can reach whatever it is, and we feel content that we chose the path we will take. When we are connected with people and know that there is compassion, it brings peace and contentment. The concept of contentment and peace is crucial in experiencing happiness.
They say, “Always look at the brighter side of things.” They say, “Everything happens for a reason.. They say many things to let you see happiness and reach acceptance, but it takes a lot of brain training to be happy. Once, I used to have a lot of “what ifs” where I felt like I needed to really know where I should be – whether I should continue my profession here in the Philippines or pursue the dreams of many to work abroad. I did not want to grow old and wonder what could have happened if I had worked abroad, so I left my good job and packed my things to explore opportunities abroad. I felt free wondering, but more importantly, I felt free wandering towards the right path for me.
I spent a month abroad looking for a job, got hired, and then returned to the Philippines while waiting for my visa approval. However, after a few days, it was rejected. I cried a lot. I did not get mad at God for letting it happen when I was so close; instead, I was curious as to why. I had no other choice but to carry on.
I got an opportunity to work in a good and well-known company in the Philippines, and after a year, I left and returned to the company where I worked before leaving for abroad. I believe that was one of the turning points in my life when I realized that I will always be in the place where I am meant to be. I find peace in that. Although there are days when I ask for more, the “more” that I pray for comes in another form. It comes in ways that will help me nurture. I find contentment knowing that where I was before is still the right place for me.
Sometimes, the path we take may not be what we originally planned, but it often leads us to exactly where we need to be. – Albert Schweitzer
The author is an MBA student at the Ramon V. Del Rosario College of Business of De La Salle University. She wrote this reflection paper for her class on Integral Human Development. She can be reached at [email protected].
The views expressed above are the author’s and do not necessarily reflect the official position of DLSU, its faculty, and its administrators.