19 Things that make me happy

We all want to be happy in our life. But, happiness cannot be a goal. A goal must be something which is more tangible and measurable. Happiness is just a perception. There have been studies in the past which proves that happiness is neither related to money nor health of a person, provided they have the minimum level of health and money to lead a modest life.

But there are things which make you happy. I am sharing the list of things which brings me to life; I would love to know about what makes you happy. Do mention about that in your comments.

19 Things that makes me happy:

1.     Reading Books - I am an avid reader. I love to read good books. They take us to their own beautiful world. I like books of various genres like adventure, fiction, self-help, biographies, classic, business, management, non-fiction, etc. I have read lots of books but my top 10 favourite books are The monk who sold his Ferrari, The Old man and the sea, Wings of Fire, The Alchemist, Blink, India Unbound, Corporate Chanakya, Rich Dad Poor Dad, The World is Flat, The diary of a young girl . I have started to write about my learning from the books I have read. (Click on the hyperlink to view the leanings from respective books.)

2.      Writing- I love writing because it De-stresses me. I practise it as a writing therapy and to understand my thoughts and introspection. Apart from this, I like to write about all the things which fascinate me like my other hobbies and interests. These days I am passionately blogging and am enjoying it. You can read about 6 things i learned on my writing spree.

3.     Joy of Giving/Social Work/Volunteering- Somewhere I read that when your income increases then don't spend the extra amount completely on enriching your lifestyle. Rather, spend a bit more on causes you believe in. I don't want to elaborate much on this because charity, whether in cash or kind should be done selflessly and not to grab attention from others. ASCI has featured me as their Ambassador to acknowledge my volunteering works to combat misleading advertisements on Television.

4.      Nature- I am a nature lover. I love all that is natural, be it trees, grass, plants, flower, birds, animals, sky, earth, moon, sun, the universe and humans, of course. I really love the chirping of birds. If we pay attention to our surrounding then we can find many things which are beautiful. We don't need to sold our possession and go to an exotic place to feel the nature. We only need to slow down a bid and enjoy what we are doing. I have slowed down to figure out 22 things which fascinates me.

5.     Morning Walk- I am not much into physical exercise. So, walking comes to me as a natural preference to keep myself fit. Walking is one of the best exercises and if you do it in the morning, you feel the scenery of the surrounding. When most people sleep , you can go out and feel the heaven.

6.     Surfing Internet to Know or learn something new- Surfing Internet is normally considered a pass time generally done for entertainment, but if done effectively can help you learn many things. If you want to brush up an existing skill or learn a new hobby, you can find some good website or blog and learn what you wanted for free. Now, ignorance can be converted into new learning in  just a few clicks. Just couple of days ago, I didn't knew anything about Search Engine Optimization (SEO), but I surfed the internet, found a very good Presentation (PPT), I studied it and watched some youtube videos and got a reasonably good amount of idea about SEO. Websites like Coursera provides a platform where you can do a course online from the professors of best Universities and that too from the luxury of your home.

7.     Photography- I am a amateur photographer and I really enjoy taking photos of nature. Who are not these days? I want to learn the nuisance of photography and shall update you more about it.

8.     Travelling- I love to travel. Thanks to my parents that I have explored most parts of India and few countries like Singapore, Malaysia and Thailand. I plan to explore the road less travelled. I want to do some adventurous trips in future. Read about my maiden trip to South East Asia in my post " Travel Diary: Once upon a time in Singapore"

9.     Food- I love eating good tasty & healthy food. I really feel happy if my stomach is pleased. Also, I cook occasionally. For me, cooking is like an art, as we are creating something.

10. Lift someone’s spirit - Nothing makes me happier that lifting someone’s spirit. I often interact with colleagues, friends, family who are feeling sad or are going through a tough phase in Life. I believe that helping others really help me overcome my insecurities and  my fears. Learn How to stay motivated at all times.

11. Art and Craft- I am not good at art, craft and similar art forms. But, good art work really touch my heart. I admire people who are good artists and crafts-person.

12. Making Lists- I am someone who is so much fond of lists that you can say that I am obsessed with lists. I prepare lists for literally everything. If you will go through this blog you will know about my love with lists. I have list for shopping, travelling, study, office, to-do, reading list, writing list, learning list, and the list of my lists are endless like 6 things I learnt on my writing spree, 6 Practical tips to start a blog, Challenged myself to write 111 posts in 30 days, 7 Tips to a Startup Entrepreneur, 5 ways to be in Present moment and so on.

13. Mentor someone - I am eldest among my siblings. So, mentoring them is something which I am doing for past 15 years. One key thing I learned while mentoring is that role of a mentor is not to spoon feed everything. Rather, their role is to inspire and kindle the flame of learning. Once the spark is ignited in the mind of your pupil then they are going to excel in their chosen field. Learn Lessons from a bad Mentor to be a good mentor.

14. Watching good movies & documentaries- I am not a regular movie-goer. But, I really appreciate good cinema, documentaries and short films. These act as a mode of entertainment, learning and motivation.

15. Playing Table Tennis/ Badminton/Cricket- I have played and enjoyed playing these 3 sports/games. Apart from these, I liked to play chess and carom. But, I get the chance to play all these stuffs occasionally. Now, gaming means all about playing mobile games.

16. Gardening- For me gardening means purchasing flower pots from market and planting flowers in it through someone. I don’t know much about gardening. But, I would love to do proper gardening at some point of my life.

17. Home Decoration- People get bored with their old furniture and they purchase new one. Seeing this trend grow in my hometown, I decided to get furniture remodeled in minimum cost, also I found that if you shuffle the location of your furniture then the look and feel of your home gets changed and trust me you will love this idea by which you can get a new look without spending a penny or by shedding a paltry sum. I have shared the pictures of my experimental home decoration at my post Jugaad- A way of Living.

18. Reduce- Reuse- Recycle- I am more of a minimalist as I believe in simple yet decent living. It’s my personal choice and I respect different viewpoints on this subject. I try to follow the principle of reduce, reuse and recycle in my life.  I will write in detail about this afterwards.

19. Spending quality time with family and loved ones- I have kept the best for the last. I love to spend quality time with my family, friends and loved ones. It is really the true investment of our life. Happy Father's day, Dad!

BY- Rohan Sinha

This article was part of my challenge to myself that I will create 111 beautiful articles in 30 days.

Picture Credit- Unsplash