WHEN ARE YOU HAPPIEST?

 This is a question which I posed to myself sometime back in my journal. I left a small blank space on the page in which I had to fill in my answer within 2 sentences. It had to be precise. A good number of activities make me happy, but the question was not talking about happy but happiest, taunting me for an answer much deeper than what lies on the surface.

Today, I had an experience which got me thinking and connected the dots to the answer I was searching for. And it came from the most unlikely of experiences.

We are having a photo shoot session at my workplace as part of the company’s anniversary celebrations. Each branch of the business is tasked with taking a group photo of staff in uniform (smart white company shirt with tie) which is to be shared with the rest of the company prior to the commencement of the events.

A group picture is taken for the branch staff outside the office premises. Upon completion a suggestion is made from amongst us to take some more photos were we loosen up as we looked too serious in the previous ones taken. We wave and smile and with each photo taken and then we keep pushing each other to make increasingly ridiculous poses. One pose leads to the next and before we know it, we are doing knee tag jumps, press-ups, running in circles, etc. A photo shoot suddenly turns into a boot camp.

As this is happening, a part of me kept saying to myself “this is childish, am an adult and adults don’t do such things”. But while this inner war was going on, outside state was filled with uncontrollable laugher from myself and colleagues. I haven’t seen my colleagues laugh that hard and simply embrace a moment like what I saw today in a very long time. We completely lost ourselves in that moment.

This experience has answered the question I asked myself some time back, “when am I the happiest?”

It is the time when I really let go, it is the time when I release my inner child, the part of me that doesn’t judge an activity like an adult does, it is when am in the present moment and simply embrace it for how I feel and not what other people will say or do.

On reflection, most of the times I have deeply felt happy, there is an almost childlike connection to the event, person or activity.

I recently had an outing with my wife where we came across a rope tree swing at the location. Without any warning, we started playing with the swing by pushing each other and found ourselves acting like little kids on a playground as we did. My wife was 1^st on the swing and as I continued pushing her, she couldn’t believe we were behaving like kids as we both laughed our lungs out while doing this. It was my turn on the swing and after a few “pendulum movements” I said to my wife “love, this feels so good, is this how kids feel?” as I laughed my heart out while holding on to my dear rope.

What activity, experiences, people bring out the part of you which lives deep inside (inner boy or girl). Is it travelling to new places and experiencing the culture of that place, playing a musical instrument, or perhaps dancing at a party like no one is watching? Or could it be playing a game with your spouse or partner?

Happiness is being a kid. Letting go of oneself in the moment and being carefree.

Why don’t we do it more often? Is it because we are afraid, we would look stupid or childish?

Rediscover your inner child and you on your way to experiencing true inner happiness.