Human beings have since time immemorial been plagued with confounding questions about the purpose of life.

With the rapid advancement in technology and medical sciences leading to the longevity quotient of human life, a lot of times people lose the meaning of life midway.Like a batsman who is accustomed to playing T-20, when suddenly exposed to the longer format of tests, gets confused how to pace his innings, we too get stuck in a limbo.

But there is a very easy method to gauge how and where youve reached in life, and to ensure that you find the purpose of life and lead a happy one.

There are many books that one turns to; in order to find the meaning of life, I too have a few favourites and one among them is the Bhagavad Gita. If we human beings follow a pre-ordained path, i.e., set by someone else, we may find success but will that make us happy, is altogether another question. We need to make mistakes and should have the ability to rework our pathways; this will make us stronger. Similar to how a rigorous workout session breaks our muscles and in repairing the damage the muscles develop shape and strength.

Hence, to each man himself is the correct mantra. You may learn from the mistakes others have made and try to set your path to success and happiness but you need to be the captain of your own ship to set your path and achieve happiness. The secret to leading a happy life can be decoded by following a few simple steps:

Look into the doubts which plague your life

Many a time when we live life in motion, we ignore the bumps or shortcuts we take in order to move on in life. One needs to hit a pause to check whether the turns and brakes applied are naturally in course of your life or not.

Once you encounter doubts, dont be afraid but rather look into them and try to resolve those doubts. Imagine you are an HR professional who has been into talent acquisitions for more than a decade and you arent sure if what you have been doing is correct for you moving forward. In such a case take a pause and try resolving this query, you may end up with a very creative result which may help fuel your life ahead more fruitfully.

Are you looking for the right thing in the wrong place?

Example: Can you find the mistake in this statement? India is the second most populous country in the world. If you are, then one needs to realign ones vision but after taking off the coloured glasses of your eyes. Many a time even the simplest questions confound us because we arent able to find answers to them. Shyam was about to be married working in a big IT firm. He drove his bike every day 30 miles to and from his job. This used to eat away approximately an hour and a half of his life in commute daily. Shyam thought of buying a car or maybe a bike with better mileage but it took a simple query from a little girl for him to realise he was looking at this problem incorrectly. All she asked was, Will you be shifting to a new house after your marriage?

Its easy to love life and not think about it. Have you also fallen into the trap of Hurry, Worry and then being Sorry?

If yes, then take a break and ascertain what you hold near to your lifes vision, what makes you grateful for it. A loving person lives in a loving world while a hostile one lives in a hostile world. Everyone you meet in this world is in reality ones own mirror reflection.

Think how you usually react to the challenges of the world. You will agree that all of us react in different ways when any sort of pressure befalls us.

Under pressure, a potato falls apart; a piece of cotton becomes hard; a piece of coal becomes a diamond. Remember, grapes must be crushed to make wine, olives are pressed to release oil and seeds always grow in darkness. In life whenever you feel crushed or under pressure, pressed or in darkness, you are actually in a powerful place of transformation, one may call this process transmutation. A reaction which leads one towards the positive part of life.

Find a guru/mentor, someone who can guide you by showing you the correct path he/she has led to reach a certain state in life.

It is said that men do not shape destiny but it is destiny which shapes a man. If you find the right guru, you can model your life aligned with their vision and achievements. Their path becomes yours albeit for a short while. The destiny of a man is in his own soul and the secret to leading a happy life is to just enjoy the journey. Make sure to keep checking every once in a while, if your ship is on the right course or not, by following the five steps mentioned above.

In life whenever you feel crushed or under pressure, pressed or in darkness, you areactually in a powerful place of transformation

Sheetal Nair is anauthor and storyteller

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Secret to leading a happy life - The New Indian Express