The Secret to Lasting Happiness is …

Let me just spill the beans, the secret to lasting happiness is Character. There is a beautiful quote by Swami Vivekananda that reads, “Everlasting Beauty, peace, and happiness lie in character”. What a remarkable thought, through this short essay, I will be sharing with you the simple formula for you to cultivate for yourself unshakeable character, in order for you to experience lasting happiness!!

What exactly is Character ?

Character simply is the sum-total of the mental impressions that have been formed, based on the acts you commit. Now, what does this mean, to illustrate this point, let’s suppose a mother asks 2 of her daughters to wash the dishes. One daughter immediately does it out of love and obedience for the mother, and the other daughter does the job with some anger and fear of upsetting the mother. Now which of these two girls have developed better character. The answer evidently, is the first girl who did it out of love and obedience for the mother, since the mental impression she has created is much more positive when compared to the other daughter. So here comes the first point, it is not about the act you commit, rather the motive you carry out the act with, which shapes the character you have.

How to cultivate Unshakeable Character ?

Very simple answer, to cultivate unshakeable character, you must become a person of virtues. Now what are the key virtues you may ask there are 8 major virtues, that are Honesty, Integrity, Compassion, Mercy, Love, Chastity, Empathy and Forgiveness. You see the more you exercise these virtues, the more your character strengthens, the more your character strengthens, the happier you become, “happiness primarily comes from what you become, not what you achieve”. When exercising these 8 major virtues, you purify your mind from egoism, jealousy, hatred, lust, anger and greed. When you shall live by these divine virtues, you do not only get rid of these 6 vices, you also gain equanimity of mind.

The Ultimate Formula

Cosmic Love * (Sincerity of the act+ Selflessness) = Unshakeable Character.

There you have it that is the formula, which is the key for developing a deep and strong character. Whatever act you may do, do it with utmost sincerity and selflessness, selflessness is key here. Selflessness in any act, that is the prerequisite to lasting happiness. No joy can be found, than the joy of giving selflessly, ever felt that way? Whenever you give and donate to charity, do you not feel happy? Of course you do, and that happiness lasts a lifetime, maybe not with the same intensity and frequency it lasted at that particular hour of the act, but the happiness lasts! That is where the secret lies to happiness, Selflessness!

That is why you see people who are in love extremely happy all the time. No greater selflessness that can be found anywhere than in Love. This can be seen by taking an example of the relationship between a mother and her child. The mother will do anything to make sure the child is safe, even stake her life for the child, and the beauty of all this is, the mother thinks of only the child. A very good illustration of this is when Lily Potter saves Harry Potter, when Voldemort tries to kill him. Lily Potter’s love is so strong, that even the powerful Voldemort could only leave a scar on Harry Potter’s head. Just imagine the infinite love she had for Harry! (Analogy taken from ‘Harry Potter and the Philosopher’s stone’)

This is why if you shall commit all your acts with selflessness, and sincerity with intense cosmic love, character shall be built, since all your actions are done with the right motive, and that motive is SELFLESSNESS!!Since your motive is always selfless the mental impressions left in your subconscious mind, always drive you to do more actions that are selfless and positive, hence leading to a noble character being developed over time. To conclude for cultivating an unshakeable character if you follow this formula which has been presented, and follow the 8 major virtues, you will start feeling happier than ever. Since when reflecting on your character, you truly understand what kind of a person you have become at the end of the day. Always remember “happiness primarily comes from what you become, not what you achieve”!!

Ending…

Thank you so much for reading this particular writing, you can always reach me out on instagram if you have to if you want to talk or something, I am always here to help you out, in any way I possibly can, just text me at @anand_tirumala. Stay curious, keep searching for ideas, keep applying them, start sharing them, and let’s make this world a better place, by sharing ideas and concepts which can dramatically change lives of everyone. Keep learning, growing, and helping in whatever you can!!