“If you have a candle, the light won’t glow any dimmer if I light yours off of mine.” – Steven Tyler

Happiness… How do you relate to this word? What does it mean to you and what gives you happiness? Happiness is a broader term and its connotation differs from one to another. For some of you happiness would be in making yourself happy, while for others it’s in making others feel good. Sometimes success, contentment, peace, gains, etc define happiness. While, at other times happiness is experienced through higher philosophies of life. The major question is why do we need happiness in life? Have you asked this question to yourself? An interesting question to ponder over, isn’t it? Try to think about it at least once. I am sure you will definitely come up with answers that will be a life-changing moment for you!

Happiness is a significant motivating factor to help us survive in this world, to inspire us towards worthwhile actions and to propel us towards the higher and deeper meaning of life. There are manifold ways to attain happiness in life. Some ways are based on the microcosmic worldly aspects, while some are based on the aspects that drift us to higher realms of understanding, empathy, love, faith, hope and so on. Amongst these various en routes to happiness… Sharing and caring are also great ways to attain happiness. Have you experienced how it feels after you have helped a needy, fed a hungry person or taken care of the ailing? It makes you feel very peaceful, contended and blissful, right? Sharing and caring are high virtues and values that not only make you feel good but also help your fellow-beings in the process too. How can you inculcate sharing and caring in your daily life or practical life is the major question here. Let us look into different ways through which we can share, through which we can care, attain and spread happiness in the progression:

“Happiness is not something ready made. It comes from your own actions.” – Dalai Lama XIV

Know yourself:

The more you know yourself, the more you can know what you are – what you have – what you can offer to the world at large. Knowing yourself is an art. It gives you an insight about your strengths and weaknesses, values and virtues, and so on. It also shows you a definite direction in life. Spending time with yourself, meditation and reflective thinking will help you a lot in the process of knowing yourself.

Be empathetic and understanding towards yourself and others:

There is a thin line between sympathy and empathy. Sympathy is something that you show to others. But, empathy is literally feeling what others are feeling. So in order to foster a sharing and caring nature you need to be understanding and empathetic towards yourself first. Then these will automatically reflect onto others.

Reach out to help the needy:

Someone somewhere in some part of the world is leading life amid great difficulties, hunger, poverty, etc. He/she must be struggling hard to make a living, someone might be emotionally hurt and might be looking for a shoulder to lean on… Life is never fair always. It is a blend of sun and shade. If you look around yourself you will find many people either silently or yelling out or a helping hand from you. Doing even a small thing to help others will take you a long way in expressing your care and concern. This will give you a lot of happiness in return.

Serve the ailing:

Nursing a sick person, taking care of the sick is yet another sterling way of attaining internal happiness and at the same time sharing ‘n’ caring. You need not be a medical professional or a doctor for it. Just by giving someone a “get well soon” card or by sitting beside him/her will enkindle a bright flame of health, well-being and happiness beyond compare.

Charity begins at home:

´Sometimes we become mere bystanders in different situations. It is not that we cannot do something it’s just that we cannot grab up all the resources and courage to do something. We expect others to be taking a stand and doing it. So folks, come on… Let’s try to inculcate strength within ourselves and take a stand wherever we are needed.

Love unconditionally and learn to forgive-forget:

Sharing, caring and ultimate happiness comes through the pearls of love, forgetting and forgiving too. It is sometimes difficult to get over things and bitter memories. It is even more difficult to forgive someone who has given you immense pain. But, it is silently killing you from within. The more negative things you think or feel the more harm you would be doing to yourself. So, no matter how difficult it is to forgive and forget, just give it a try at least. You will be the one who will be the happiest person on the Earth after doing it.

Meaningful social and community services:

We often celebrate and party with our family, friends and acquaintances. This is really a great way of spreading and sharing happiness around. However, sometimes you can make it more meaningful through a vision or ideal – oriented gathering. For example: Meeting or assembling together and planning to help someone or a community that needs you. Orphans, the elderly, the sick and ailing, the poor and needy… There are manifold ways in which you can create sunshine of positivity and prosperity through community service.

Praise and celebrate:

Hmmm… if you have done at least one of the above things that I have said above, if you have done something to share or care in some or the other form, then its time to praise yourself and celebrate guys!!!!

Your biggest strengths and values are your potentialities to share and care; to attain and radiate happiness. If you are already doing it or already thinking of doing it, then you are indeed one of the best creations on Earth.

“This life is for loving, sharing, learning, smiling, caring, forgiving, laughing, hugging, helping, dancing, wondering, healing, and even more loving. I choose to live life this way. I want to live my life in such a way that when I get out of bed in the morning, the devil says, ‘aw shit, he’s up!” – Steve Maraboli, Unapologetically You: Reflections on Life and the Human Experience