How to be Happy?

Shiny objects, loads of money, health, all of it?

I sat down to think about who do I think is the happiest person I know..

The  happiest person I've ever met in my life wasn’t a millionaire, a  billionaire or someone that won the lottery (I actually haven’t met any  of those three yet, but it helps the story).

It was a guy that works at the cashier at my local supermarket.

He seems to be the happiest, friendliest and most fulfilled person on this planet.

I  never saw someone being so passionate about doing his job. He talks to  everyone, asks how their day was and usually lightens up my and  everybody else’s day. It’s a gift.

Sometimes I even go and buy my stuff there just to see his friendliness at work. It fascinates me every time.

But  it also makes me wonder what his recipe might be, his recipe for  happiness. And why so many people are chasing what he seems to have  found.

Most importantly, he probably found it without ever having  searched for it. Maybe one magic morning it just happened to be there.  And I guess that might be his secret sauce.

The secret sauce that  might help all of us to be happier and enjoy our lives even more (in  case there is such thing as happiness).

As soon as we start  questioning what we are currently doing, see hundreds of other shiny opportunities, start comparing ourselves to others and let ourselves  blind by the awesome lives that others seem to be living on the outside  we start questioning our own path.

We get the feeling that  something might be missing in our lives. A feeling that could best be  described with unhappiness. So we start the pursuit of happiness. A  never ending pursuit...

This is something completely natural and  human. So the question should be more about how we can stop questioning  our own path and start living a happy life instead.

To answer  this question let's take a look at this beautiful short story, which is a  true story by the way (originally appeared in form of a poem in The New  Yorker, May 16th, 2005):

An author was at a party on Shelter  Island given by a billionaire. A friend came over to him and asked him  how he felt that the guy throwing this party makes more money a day than  he will ever be able to make with all of his books combined. And the  author said, “Fair enough. But I’ve got something he can never have”.  “Now what could that be?”, his friend was wondering. And the author  replied, “Enough”.

Not having enough is the beginning of the  vicious circle and the reason why we start comparing ourselves with  others, start questioning our own path and feel like something is  missing (although we might already have everything).

As soon as we start realizing the power of having enough we might get a step closer to finding the key to happiness.

It does not mean that one should lower their expectations. It means to be happy with your expectations.

The key that the guy working at the cashier at my local supermarket has found already. The key we are all trying to find.

He has enough…