I remember a point in my life when good things seemed to fall into my lap. Everything I touched seemed to turn to gold. I had friends, financial security, and all the grown-up toys I had ever wanted. Then one day I was asked a very profound question.

“Are you happy?”

Of course, my immediate response was an exuberant “Yes!” After that day had come to a close, however, and I was laying in the dark in bed, the question seemed to come back to me. I then started to contemplate, as we do at night when our brain will not turn off:

  • What made me happy?
  • Was it my financial state that made me happy?
  • My toys?
  • My seemingly unshakable position in this world?
  • How did I define my happiness?

Was I Happy?

I certainly felt I had no reason not to be happy. At that time, I believed I was happy because everything was going my way and life was good. But my life’s focus was on getting things to make me happy or giving things to make others happy. Having things and sharing things is not bad. But what if you base your happiness on the things you have? The more I got to thinking, the more I realized I was not happy. I had things that made me feel happy.

  • But what if I did not have all my things?
  • What if I had to be happy without my possessions?
  • Could I be happy then?

In all my good fortune, I had become a consumer in the worse sense. I always got the newest, latest, and greatest. I was compelled to upgrade and accumulate stuff.

So What Is Happiness?

Merriam-Webster defines happiness as prosperity. On the outside I was prosperous. But, as you read the other ways happiness is defined it says: “a state of well-being and contentment.” Things are not what make a person truly happy. You can feel happy at any given moment. But what I am referring to is much deeper. What I was contemplating that night, in the dark, was am I in a state of well-being and contentment. I was trying to fill holes in my life that could only be filled by being at peace with myself and my environment. I needed to change.

The quieter you become, the more you are able to hear. – -Lao Tzu

I’m not advising that you put on sackcloth and sit in ashes. However, I did learn from the simple question of, “Are you happy,” that I had filled my life with noise, action, and consumerism. I had forgotten how to simply be. I decided to see where I could pare down my life. Over the course of the next year, I eliminated the distractions and began focusing on my family more. I spent more time outdoors and – rather than work late and accumulate vacation time I would never use – I would instead, take a vacation from all the hustle. My things didn’t need any more upgrading. My sense of happiness, on the other hand, did. I found that true happiness can be attained through a refocusing of life. By finding peace within and investing in each other, we can help one another to find happiness. At iGOZEN we strive to bring you new products that will help you find peace with your environment. Our goal is to help you keep the foods you eat and the places you clean safer for everyone. You can check out what iGOZEN has to help make your life more at peace here.  

Applications and Resources

  • Check out this website about living a Zen life to discover where your happiness lies.
  • Be happy and live with no regrets: We only live once so make every moment the best it can be.

  iGOZEN is a way of living that allows you to be in the now. We believe that by being at peace with yourself, and knowing you are contributing in a positive way to your environment, that you can find true happiness. We hope that through our life lessons we can help you on your journey and make the path a little easier to navigate. iGOZEN strives to put this way of life into all our products and empower you to make the choices that are right for your life. Find your happiness and continue to make every moment count.   Image Credit: #462770777 / gettyimages.com