Thoughts for Success: Choose Happiness

I was deeply saddened by the recent earthquake in Nepal. When I visited Nepal in 1999 I went in search of the astonishing Himalayan Mountains. I came away with an even more surprising and lasting gift from the Nepalese people who inhabit those mountains.

Despite the fact that Nepal is one of the poorest countries in the world, it was there that I met some of the happiest people I’ll ever know.

Families shared food, home and hearth with me. During a visit to a shrine, one Nepalese family even offered to share the warm blood from a precious goat (a gracious offer, which in my Western fashion I awkwardly declined).

The secret of these humble and generous people is that they choose to be happy. They embrace, rather than chase, happiness. I never saw the children whining or complaining as they played with their few (and often handmade) toys. I never saw people envying others (even when the clothing and gear in our backpacks cost more than the family would earn in a year). Instead I saw people trying to live in joy.

If you wish to help the earthquake victims by donating to the relief effort here is a link to Save the Children.  Please also join me in prayer that a culture who has given so much is blessed by a swift return to health and happiness in the hard days to come.

P.S. Comment and share how you consciously choose to embrace, not chase, happiness.