Journal of Happiness

Once upon a time, in an island somewhere over the sea, there was a jungle. Inside that jungle lived only plants and animals, there was no humans inside that jungle.

On a big tree, there were two monkeys, Monkey A and Monkey B. They had small talk over a few of bananas.

Monkey A said to Monkey B, "Hey B, you know what, this jungle is not the same anymore."

"Why?" asked B.

A said, "Well.. look at these bananas.. They do not taste as good as they used to anymore..The colors are not so bright. You know the waters that flow through the middle river? It does not taste fresh these days. And to make it even worse, last night when I tried to climb a tree, I accidentally stepped on lion's head. It got very angry and hunted me down to the end of this woods! Luckily I could find another big tree, but when I climbed it, I stepped on a thorn from that tree! My feet was bleeding.. I guess I'm going to die soon." A started to look down with a long face.

But Monkey B laughed so hard and tapped Monkey A's back and said, "Hey A, I live in the same woods just like you do, remember? We eat bananas from the same tree, we drink from the same river, we even sleep in the same tree! But look at the big smile in my face! You want to know why? Let me tell you my secret."

1. Count What You Have , Not What You Lost

"A, you set your happiness rule too high. You only feel happy when the bananas are looking and taste like you want it. The same things goes to the water. You feel happy when trees are clean from thorn, but for me , I'm happy because I can eat and drink and have place to sleep at night. That is what makes me happy."

Let me interrupt those monkey's stories with some inspiration for you. The secret of happiness does not lying outside there, the secret is inside yourself. You are the one who have the complete control of your own happiness. It is your decision, your rules. Set simple rules for happiness , do not set the bar too high, do not push yourself too hard, do not put too much pressure on yourself. I'm not saying that you should just giving up everything in this life. No, I'm not telling you to be lazy or to be a person that easy to give up on everything! Do not get me wrong, there is a big different being lazy and being simple.

Being simple means that things does not have to happen just like what you want but you still can be happy. For example, you want today to be a sunny day because you just washed your car earlier. Not just washed it, but you also waxed it from the back, front, up, even down! It looks very shiny so when people want to look at your car they have to wear sunglasses! But when you drive your car out of your garage, rain starts fall down and bam!!! your car now looks dirty again. If you are a simple person, if you set your happiness bar low enough, you will be happy! Why? Your rules to happiness is low! You change your mind from "I'll be happy if.." into "I am happy because.." . If the rules is high , you will say "I'll be happy if today is a sunny day." , if the rules is low , you will say "I am happy because I still have a car." If your rules to happiness is simple and low, believe me, you will have happitude..the attitude of happy people.

Happitude is the attitude of happy people. Happy people like to count what they have and not what they lost! If you look at your problems and you put microscope over it, you start to talk about it everyday, mourn over it every time, moan about it every single second and analyze it like an economic crisis, you will not be happy. Friends, believe me when I say this.. God is a happy God. Why would a happy God give you less happiness and more problems? No, He won't! He ALWAYS give you more blessings than problems! ALWAYS..all the time.

2. Bad Things Make Space for Good Things

"A, you know, maybe the foods and waters and trees are not like the way you want them to be. But you still have to be thankful. Because maybe the bananas are not so good right now, we eat them now, so tomorrow this banana trees will grow even better bananas for us to eat. The waters maybe does not taste fresh but it has flow now! And fresher waters will flow! Your feet was bleeding, but now you know which tree is dangerous to climb!"

Monkey A started to nodded his head.

Friends, I know people want to live a very peaceful life. I know because I want it too. I understand that people do not want pain. I know because I do not want it too. But to gain more blessings, you need more spaces. Friends, give thanks to God for the empty spaces in your life.

That's why your boyfriend left you. He just left you without any reason. You were being dumped. Thank God , now He can send a better man for you. That's why your girlfriend cheated on you. She left you because you are not good enough according to her. Thank God, so He can send a woman who loves you for whoever you are.

That's why you are out of your job now. You were retrenched. Thank God and believe that you can get a better job out there!

When bad things happen, you have two choices. Either you give up or you take it as an empty spaces in your life that very soon will be filled by God with even more blessings. Happiness is a choice, my friends.

3. God's Love

"A, my final secret is this, look around us. There are foods, waters, and trees, also loose soil. Even there are so many different kinds of plants here! We have so many friends! There are so many different kinds of animals here! We never feel lonely, right?"

A smiled and hugged his friend, "Thank you so much, B!!"

The most important key to happiness is love, especially God's love.

John 3:16 “For God so loved the world, that He gave his only Son, that whoever believes in Him should not perish but have eternal life."

God loves this world so much. God loves YOU so much. He gave everything for this world..for you also. We are busy looking for God's blessings, the truth is that we already surrounded by it! We just can't see it sometimes. To be happy is to believe that God loves you.

We are too busy to look for our own accomplishment..our own success, but we miss to look out for God's love. I am not saying that you can't be success. Success is important, that's true. Accomplishment is important, that's also true. However, do not rely your happiness on what you have achieved. Do not rely your happiness on what is temporary. Rely it onto something that last forever.. The love of God.

No matter how much money you have now, you will not bring it when you are gone.

Your car, so expensive, so shiny, looking so cool now, one day it will be rusty.

Your house, so big , so beautiful, one day you will leave it and someone else will own it.

If your happiness depends on these things, believe me, it will gone...puuufffff... just like the wind. Jesus wants you to find eternal happiness , not temporary one. Seek your happiness in God's love. Believe that God loves you.. He has your picture in His room.. He always thinking about you all the time.. He sits in front of his laptop everyday, waiting for you to go online and have some chat with Him.. He even saves your picture in His wallet! He has written your name in His heart!

Be happy!

-M-